A police standoff on Tuesday escalated to a shooting that left a local man dead and an officer injured. Over 50 people gathered outside a North Long Beach church on Wednesday night to mourn the man who was killed, Brandon Boyd.
The Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) said that officers were dispatched to the 5200 block of Atlantic Avenue in response to a report of a man with a gun around 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Police said after locating him, officers engaged in a standoff with him for two and a half hours, which included SWAT, a hostage negotiator and a Mental Evaluation Team. LBPD said in a public statement that once he revealed a firearm, Boyd and four police officers fired shots.
Family members said during the vigil on Wednesday that they pleaded with police not to kill Boyd, and that many members of the family were arrested during the incident. Black Lives Matter Long Beach and the family have said that Boyd was the one who called police. The Signal Tribune reached out to the LBPD on Thursday morning to ask who made the original 911 call, but has not heard back as of Friday afternoon.
The Signal Tribune interviewed a minor who witnessed the shooting with permission from his parents. Around 15 minutes before the shooting took place, the teen began watching the standoff. He said Boyd was sitting down and moving around, and described his demeanor as calm.
“The cops had their guns drawn on him. […] I heard them kind of say, you know, ‘Are you ready to surrender? Are you ready to surrender?’ And then after the second time they said that, a flashbang went off right in between, from the cops to him, right in the middle of the air,” said 17-year-old Anthony, a resident of North Long Beach. “[…] By the time I noticed that happened, I kind of turned my back, but then I quickly went back, and then I heard two shots happen. And then that was a second after the flashbang, then a second after his two shots were shot, the cops returned fire, killing him. I witnessed him kind of slouch forward and kind of fall.”
LBPD confirmed to the Signal Tribune that a flashbang grenade was fired by officers during the standoff. According to a 2022 LBPD memo, flashbang grenades are used “for distracting dangerous suspects during assaults, hostage rescue, room entry or other high-risk arrest situations.”
Anthony said he saw the officers attempt to perform CPR on Boyd after the shooting.
“They did what they could. I mean, he shot a cop,” the teen said.
The Long Beach Fire Department was already at the scene prior to the shooting, and pronounced Boyd dead at the scene.
Boyd’s family members said he was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of the shooting, and that police didn’t do enough to deescalate the situation and assist Boyd.
“They think they killed a criminal. They killed my mama’s baby,” said Boyd’s sister.
Boyd was described by loved ones as being funny, a good cook and a father of four.
An officer was struck in the arm, taken to a hospital for treatment and was later released, LBPD said.
In response to the shooting, Mayor Rex Richardson released a statement on social media.
“Thankfully, the officer is in stable condition with minor injuries, is in good spirits, and is expected to make a full recovery,” Richardson said in the public statement. “[…] Our first responders put their lives on the line every day to keep our community safe. I commend and thank each of them for their bravery and dedication.”
Organizers with Black Lives Matter were present at the vigil to support the family and speak to the crowd.
“We hate that we have to come together at these times in this way, but we’re the only ones we’ve got. We have to keep ourselves safe,” said Melissa Morgan, a member of Black Lives Matter’s Long Beach chapter. “[…] A lot of times, families get left behind to navigate a corrupt police department system, a corrupt city government.”
Boyd’s family has demanded that LBPD release the audio of the 911 call, body cam footage and the names of the four officers who shot at Boyd. They are also demanding that all charges against family members be dropped, and that charges be pressed against the four officers.
Police said that body cam footage of the shooting is being reviewed and will be released to the public as soon as possible. According to state law, LBPD has a maximum of 45 days to release the footage.
Boyd’s family encouraged people during the vigil to reach out for help if they’re struggling mentally.