# LA police kill 'human shield' toddler



## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

A toddler was shot and killed when her father used her as a human shield in a gunbattle with Los Angeles police.

The man also died and a police officer was wounded in the hours-long standoff, officials said.


The man was identified as Jose Raul Lemos, and the girl, about 17 months old, was his daughter, police said.
The officer, who was not immediately identified, was shot in the shoulder and was expected to recover.

"He was using the baby as a shield," Assistant Police Chief Jim McDonnell said.


"We showed a tremendous amount of restraint, but unfortunately the suspect's actions dictated this," he said.
"It's a true tragedy."

The child's mother, Lorena Lopez, said she pleaded with officers to hold their fire.

"He had problems with depression, his business was not doing well," Lopez told KNBC-TV.

"I told them that he needed help, he needs a psychologist, but please don't shoot. They didn't understand, and the police fired, like, 300 shots."

It was unclear who fired the shot that hit the girl, but officers were struggling with the thought that they killed a baby, McDonnell said.

"The officers are taking it very hard," he said.

"Anytime you have a baby killed, it takes its toll."

The standoff began at around 3.50pm (0550 Monday AEST) when officers went to an area in South Los Angeles west of Watts, after residents reported an armed man standing near an intersection with a toddler and behaving erratically and aggressively.

There were three exchanges of gunfire between police and Lemos, who was about 35, McDonnell told reporters. In the final exchange, at around 6.20pm (0820 Monday AEST), Lemos held the girl as he shot.

"We did everything we could to hold our fire," McDonnell said.

At one point, Lemos retreated into an apartment building, where police said he held the girl hostage.

Police called in a SWAT team and tried to speak with the man. When they at one point tried to help a neighbour escape the area, he fired at them and they fired back, McDonnell said.

Under police regulations, officers may only fire "when it reasonably appears necessary" to protect themselves or others from death or serious injury.

The man had a 9mm handgun and a shotgun and was intoxicated on drugs and alcohol, police said.


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## SouthernJustice (Jul 8, 2005)

God damn Mexicans.


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Reminds me of the Speed movie. Shoot the hostage and take them out of the equasion. I guess that really is the logic in Hollywood.


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## fishfreaks (Jan 19, 2005)

SouthernJustice said:


> God damn Mexicans.


haha exactly. i cannot post what i really thing of this story so....BLEEP....


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

SouthernJustice said:


> God damn Mexicans.


 
Just because he happened to be mexican has nothing to do with it. So genearalizing that all mexicans are like that is not really good on your part. 

It is a sad story but like any man has problems and what ever happened to the tazer gun? we have them for a reason get a long range sniper tazer gun they need to make.


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

They also have a silly string type stuff that becomes like a spider web and expands and makes them immoble. Kind of like that "great stuff" expanding foam. They could have got on the roof and as the guy left the house just hosed him down in the stuff.


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

yea no kiddin, where is fantastic 4 when u need them.


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## Ghetto (Jun 10, 2005)

SouthernJustice said:


> God damn Mexicans.


That's a very ignorant comment. That would be like me saying only only white people do school shootings.


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## Imbrium (Feb 7, 2005)

Ghetto said:


> That's a very ignorant comment. That would be like me saying only only white people do school shootings.


I agree. That's a horrible thing to say.


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## Ownager2004 (Apr 4, 2005)

no kidding where was the SWAT sniper when all this was going down? Leaving the doughnut eaters to do the shooting in that situation is just asking for something like this to happen.
Why would they even open fire with a small child being held hostage. They should have just ran for cover and waited for a sniper or for the guy to come to his senses. Leaving a bunch of doughnut eaters with itchy trigger fingers to aggrivate that guy to the point of shooting at them is rediculous.


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## SouthernJustice (Jul 8, 2005)

Jesus Christ, grow up.


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## fishfreaks (Jan 19, 2005)

SouthernJustice said:


> Jesus Christ, grow up.


they are, thats why they know it was ignorant :-D


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## tahuampa (Jun 26, 2005)

*rasism*

SouthernJustice - Self Described Huguenot
God damn Mexicans.

Then, we should kill them all; or send them all back to Mexico and close the border with a tall brick wall with electric fences...
Or even better; sterilize them!!!
Then we start (re-start) with the blacks, then the Yellows; then those who are not blonde; then those who have no blue eyes, then.... what!

I cant believe how can you dare to show how stupid you are in front of all us...

This is the last time I spend my time talking to or about Southernstupid


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

that also gives a bad name to the south to have someone whos "heart resides in the south" say something like that

besides that its very ignorant and stupid and rude and.......i think you get my point


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## SouthernJustice (Jul 8, 2005)

:withstup:


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Dont worry I am from the north and there are places around here that prove southern sterotypes are wrong. We have a city called loves park that we joke around with the people at work that live there by calling it loves park-in-saw. They have the cars in the yards the bathtub planters in yards and even the rebel flag in a few yards.


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

LMAO i just went through that town, didnt think much of it, gonna have to look better when i go to rockford again.


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## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

They have been passing local laws trying to force people to start cleaning up their yards.


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