Man killed by police holding a hose nozzle

www.infowars.com/man-killed-by-police-was-holding-hose-nozzle-not-gun/#comments

LONG BEACH (KTLA) — A man shot to death by two police officers was found to have pointed a pistol-grip water nozzle at them rather than a weapon, the police chief said Monday at a news conference marked by sobs from the victim’s relatives.
Police were called at 4:40 p.m. Sunday to investigate the report of a man with a gun in the 5300 block of Ocean Boulevard near Glendora Avenue, said Long Beach Sgt. Dina Zapalski.


Officers say they fired at Douglas Zerby when he pointed the black metal-tipped object at them in a two-handed posture that looked like what a person would do when they are about to shoot a weapon, Chief Jim McDonnell said.


Video at link

If the 27 rounds is true, that is kinda hard to explain.

Sounds to me like the cops are lieing their asses off to avoid murder charges.

There are not enough facts to even discuss this incident. Based on the low-life comments following the article, this incident needs some PR work by the police to prove justification for the shooting. Something just isn't right here, and the natives are really restless.

A little bit more information here, but not much.
No contact by police with victim, shot eight times.

ONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Angry relatives of a man shot to death by police who apparently mistook a pistol-grip water nozzle he held for a gun are lashing out at officers, saying they made no effort to contact him before opening fire.However, police officials say Douglas Zerby's behavior prompted the officers' response.
"As the subject was in a seated position, he used a two-handed pistol-grip hold on an object with his arms fully extended," Long Beach Police Chief Jim McDonnell said. "Somebody that is impaired and waving what appears to witnesses and police to be a handgun. That's what the officers were faced with."
Zerby pointed it at one of the officers and two officers fired their weapons, a handgun and a shotgun. A total of eight shots were fired — two from shot guns and six from a handgun, McDonnell said.
Zerby's sister, Eden Marie Biele, said officers made no attempt to talk to her 35-year-old brother or get his attention before shooting him to death.
"They didn't say 'Put your hands up' or 'Freeze' or anything," Biele told The Associated Press Monday. "He was killed in cold blood."
Biele was among the family members whose sobs were heard among McDonnell's explanations of the events leading to Zerby's death on Sunday.
"This is a very unfortunate set of circumstances and leaves the family to deal with it here," McDonnell said, offering his condolences to the Zerby family.
The Long Beach officers were dispatched to an apartment building after two people reported a man with a gun sitting on a backyard porch landing, McDonnell said. In an excerpt of a 911 call played for reporters, a male caller said the man appeared to have a "tiny six-shooter."
McDonnell said the officers took positions to observe Zerby, who appeared intoxicated, and believed he had a gun as described by the callers, but focused on setting up containment of the area rather than contacting him.
As officers awaited requested backup units, the man pointed the object at apartments and played with it, causing it to make sounds similar to those of a gun being handled, he said.
Both officers were placed on administrative leave, a standard move after a police shooting.
Biele said the family is considering legal action over the shooting.
She said Zerby, who had an 8-year-old son, had been drinking and rather than drive home, went to his friend's place and was waiting on the stairs for him to come home.
"He never knew there was a problem. Police snuck down the corridor and shot him," Biele said. "He was a drunk sitting on a stoop fumbling with a hose nozzle."

I have a hard time believe the guy was unaware of the police and simply drunk sitting on the door step fumbling with the hose.

Most adults know you do not play cowboy with the police. It sounds as if this bozo was simply acting like he had a gun and was going to shoot, and the cops saw that and acted. There was no time to say put em up or drop it etc. With all the shots fired from different locations I presume the dude had to know the cops were there. From the article I'd guess he was drunk and trying to be funny at the wrong time. If the police are there it is serious, there are not there to play with you.

It could have also been suicide by cops. The whole story has not yet evolved.

I agree Doc. Police offer no excuse if you get shot because you're pointing something at them that resembles a firearm.

lol the armchair quarterbacking is pretty funny. if the facr are true as they're laid out in the article, the fault lies with the person who got shot.

I'm with Doc & JEV.