Family members and friends marched Saturday night in support of a man who remains in a medically induced coma after being shot by Los Angeles Police Department officers in Los Feliz.
Relatives of Walter DeLeon handed out gray towels similar to the one they say the 48-year-old father often carried on his walks through the neighborhood.
Police say DeLeon's hands were covered with a cloth during a confrontation June 19, leading officers to believe he was pointing a gun at them. After the shooting, police learned that the DeLeon was unarmed.
The march Saturday night ended at Griffith Park, where they prayed for DeLeon, who remains in critical condition.
"Justice not just for us, but for whoever goes through this. It's not justifiable to what they've done to a family member," said DeLeon's niece, Zulema Pivarel.
The family disputes the LAPD's claim that DeLeon may have been trying to provoke officers to shoot him. LAPD officials said DeLeon approached officers in a squad car in an aggressive manner. When DeLeon allegedly refused to comply with their orders, officers shot him four times, officials said.
"It honestly angered me and my sister and my whole family because we know him and he wouldn't do such a thing," said the man's son, William DeLeon.
U.S. & World
Victor Flores flew to Los Angeles from Texas when he heard what happened to his best friend.
"I know they're out there to protect and to serve, but when an officer does what he did, we don't feel safe anymore, we can't approach a police officer anymore," Flores said.
The officer who shot DeLeon was identified by the LAPD as nine-year law enforcement veteran Cairo Palacios.
LAPD officials say witnesses have corroborated the officers' account that DeLeon was acting aggressively.
The shooting remains under investigation.
