LBPD releases video of officer chasing, shooting man who fired gun at another person in North Long Beach

Long Beach police on Tuesday released a video detailing the moments an officer chased down and shot a man who fired a gun at another person in the parking lot of a convenience store in April.

“You saved my life,” a voice off-camera can be heard telling the officer who shot 43-year-old Long Beach resident Demetrius Imoesiri on the 5800 block of Orange Avenue on April 26.

Police say the officer was on patrol near the area just before midnight when he saw Imoesiri firing a gun at someone.

Security footage from the scene appears to show a man police say is Imoesiri walking toward a convenience store before turning to a person who was standing next to a car in the parking lot.

The two seem to exchange words before Imoesiri goes into the store. Seconds later, the 43-year-old can be seen walking and firing a gun toward the direction of the car, the video shows.

A Long Beach Police Department squad car appears on screen as the person near the vehicle gets in and drives away. Imoesiri suddenly begins sprinting across the parking lot as an LBPD officer gets out of the vehicle with their weapon drawn, the video shows.

“Stop, you’re going to get shot,” the officer tells Imoesiri, as heard in the body-camera footage released in accordance with state law.

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The officer chases Imoesiri across the parking lot and tells him to drop the gun and get on the ground. Imoesiri, however, ignores him and continues to run away, the video shows.

The 43-year-old can then be seen lifting his right hand, which police say was the moment he ditched his gun before the officer fired a volley of bullets at him.

Imoesiri can be seen falling to the ground while the out-of-breath officer continues to hold him at gunpoint and gives him commands to put out his hands in front of him.

The officers can then be seen approaching Imoesiri, who police say was shot twice in the lower body, and handcuffing him.

Imoesiri was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for his injuries, which police said were not life-threatening. He has since been discharged from the hospital and charged with one count each of attempted murder, possessing a firearm despite being convicted of a previous felony, illegal possession of ammunition, resisting or obstructing arrest, and owning or possessing a firearm while subject to a restraining order, police said.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office is conducting its own investigation to determine whether the officer’s actions were appropriate, which is a standard practice after a shooting involving an officer.

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