The case of Yong Yang, a Korean-American man who was shot dead by police on May 2, has raised controversy over police brutality.
To take a closer look at the situation, this article summarizes the events of the incident based on interviews with the deceased’s family, Min Yang, and LAPD radio calls obtained by the Korea Daily.
Related article:
* Man fatally shot by police at his home in LA Koreatown, family alleges overreaction
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Wednesday, May 1, the day before the incident:
1 p.m.: Min Yang (Yong Yang’s father) and his wife drove to their son’s home on Pico Boulevard. Yang picked up his son to go to a restaurant but realized that his son was not feeling well and decided to have lunch at the son’s house.
5 p.m.: After spending time with their son, Mr. and Mrs. Yang returned home.
7:30 p.m.: Yang’s son realized he left his phone and wallet in his father’s car, so he rode his bike for 10 minutes to his father’s house. After retrieving the items, the son decided to spend the night at his father’s house because he didn’t want to go home.
Thursday, May 2, the day of the incident:
3 a.m.: Sleeping on the couch, the son couldn’t sleep well. Concerned about a conflict with their son, Mr. and Mrs. Yang left the house and spent time separately at a nearby McDonald’s.
9 a.m.: Mr. and Mrs. Yang arrived at the home parking lot. Mrs. Yang went upstairs to check on her son. When the son heard the key unlocking the door, he asked, “Who is it?” When she told him it was his mom, the son reacted abnormally, saying, “I don’t know you.”
9:35 a.m.: The couple realized their son was not feeling well and contacted the Department of Mental Health (DMH) 24/7 helpline for help.
10:50 a.m.: Two DMH clinicians, including a Korean-American clinician, arrived on the scene. Mr. Yang attempted to enter the house with the clinicians. When Yang entered with the door halfway open, his son, seeing the clinicians behind him, yelled for them to leave. Ultimately, Mr. Yang and the clinicians were unable to enter the house and decided to seek police assistance. Clinicians called the police at this time.
11 a.m.: Police received the report.
11:30 a.m.: Mr. Yang and the first two officers on the scene got back up to the house, but the son refused to open the door, so they came back down. At least five police cars arrived on the scene. Seven officers discussed with Mr. Yang on the street in front of the house how to transport him to the hospital. Yang gave the officers the front door keys, including his son’s physical description (6’2″) and confirmed that he had no weapon in possession. Only officers re-entered Mr. Yang’s home.
Noon: Shots were fired at Mr. Yang’s home. Four shots were fired within 1-2 seconds. The son was heard screaming outside. Officers radioed “All units, officer needs help” after the shooting, requesting backup.
12:02 p.m.: Police reported “suspect in custody” over the radio. The scene of the shooting was secured.
12:30 p.m.: LAPD Mobile Command Response Unit, investigative teams, and the Force Investigation Division (FID) quickly arrived on the scene. A police line was set up around the entire block, including Yang’s home. Officers told Mr. and Mrs. Yang that they could not enter the house. No explanation of what was going on inside was given.
12:41 p.m.: An ambulance arrived. Three paramedics entered the scene.
1:07 p.m.: Paramedics left the scene.
1:30-2 p.m.: Olympic Police Captain Aaron Ponce notified Mr. and Mrs. Yang of their son’s death nearly two hours after the incident. Mr. and Mrs. Yang still could not access the house.
2:57 p.m.: Los Angeles Police Department Media Relations Division announced via X (formerly Twitter) that a male suspect in his 40s armed with a knife was struck by police.
3 p.m.: FID asked Mr. and Mrs. Yang to go to the Olympic Police Station to cooperate with the investigation. Mr. and Mrs. Yang said they would wait for the medical examiner’s office to arrive. After they heard that they could come back at the scene when medical examiners arrive, they headed to the police station together.
4:00 p.m.: Mr. and Mrs. Yang returned to the scene after hearing that the medical examiner’s office had arrived, but their son’s body had already been collected.
8 p.m.: Mr. and Mrs. Yang returned home.
While the LAPD is currently declining to provide further details, members of Korean-American communities are urging the LAPD to disclose the details regarding the officer-involved shooting.
BY SUAH JANG, JUNHAN PARK [jang.suah@koreadaily.com]
