In brief
A grand jury has indicted former Los Angeles police officer Clifford Proctor on charges of second-degree murder stemming from the deadly shooting of Brendan Glenn in May 2015. Proctor has pleaded not guilty, and the case has ignited discussions about police accountability in Los Angeles. The indictment follows a revisit of the case by the current District Attorney, Nathan Hochman, after previous DA George Gascón declined to file charges in 2018. Proctor, who resigned from the force in 2017, remains in custody with a upcoming court appearance scheduled.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A grand jury indictment was unsealed Friday charging former Los Angeles police officer Clifford Proctor in the May 2015 shooting death of unarmed homeless man Brendan Glenn in Venice, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office.Proctor pleaded not guilty to a charge of second-degree murder, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. Glenn, 29, was killed during a struggle with officers outside a bar where he had previously fought with a bouncer. His name became emblematic in advocacy against police shootings, particularly within the African American community, as both Glenn and Proctor are Black.Current LA District Attorney Nathan Hochman stated that the indictment follows a reevaluation of four use-of-force cases, including Proctor’s, initiated by the previous DA, George Gascón, who considered them insufficient for criminal action at the time. Hochman, having taken office after Gascón’s ousting in November, is reviewing the case for prosecution.Proctor's lawyer, Anthony “Tony” Garcia, challenged the timing of the charges, highlighting that previous prosecutors had declined to file charges against Proctor back in 2018, citing lack of evidence demonstrating unlawful use of force on his part.The recent indictment claims that Glenn was on his stomach and trying to push himself up when Proctor shot him in the back. Investigators noted that Glenn was not attempting to grab a weapon from Proctor or his partner at the moment of the shooting, with Proctor's partner expressing confusion over why the shot was fired.Proctor left the LAPD in 2017, and the city later reached a $4 million settlement with Glenn’s family for a wrongful death lawsuit. The former officer remains in jail, with his next court date scheduled for November 3.
