2 Saw LAPD Shooting, Group Says

A coalition of activists demanding a full investigation into the May 21 shooting death of a homeless woman by a Los Angeles police officer said Sunday it has located two witnesses who say Margaret Mitchell did not pose a threat.

“Ms. Mitchell was trying to get away and was shot,” said Najee Ali, a member of the Justice for Margaret Mitchell Coalition, standing in front of a makeshift memorial at the corner of La Brea Avenue and 4th Street where Mitchell was shot.

Two officers stopped Mitchell to ask if her shopping cart was stolen. She lunged at an officer with a screwdriver and he shot her, police say.

On Sunday, the coalition said it is turning over the names of witnesses to the U.S. Justice Department, which is investigating. Members refused to release the names and asked that other witnesses step forward, pledging that their identity also would be protected.

Linda Lockwood of the Wilshire Division Community Police Advisory Board said the public should not rush to judgment. “It is a tragedy whatever the circumstances,” said Lockwood, who stopped by the scene Sunday. “But just to bad-mouth the police without hearing both sides is not fair.”