Compton man killed in deputy-involved shooting was mistaken, officials say

COMPTON, Calif. (FOX 11 / CNS) - The family of 27-year-old Donnell Thompson Jr. is convinced he was shot and killed in a case of mistaken identity -- and they want the sheriff's deputy who pulled the trigger to be fired.

"He should be fired, he should lose his pension, he should know how I feel," Thompson's sister, Matrice Stanley, said. "Nothing you guys can do will bring my brother back."

Thompson's family, along with their lawyer and members of Black Lives Matter, addressed the County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

They're demanding answers about the shooting which happened on the morning of July 28.

"What the family wants at this time more than anything else is transparency in the investigation," attorney Brian Dunn said.

Detectives said Thompson matched the description of a car-jacking suspect they were searching for in a Compton neighborhood.

Thompson, who was found lying on a neighbor's front yard, didn't respond to the SWAT team's commands even after firing non-lethal rounds at him.

"At some point, Mr. Thomson lifted himself up off the ground, looked to one side and then ran in the direction of one of the armed vehicles," Capt. Steven Katz of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.

That's when a deputy shot Thompson twice, killing him.

The Sheriff's Department said investigators didn't find any weapons.

"We don't understand how a special task force such as SWAT would be negligent in shooting and killing someone who was not armed and not a threat," Thompson's sister-in-law, Sherene Hill, said.

The carjacking suspect, who had shot at deputies, was arrested in the same neighborhood shortly before Thompson was killed.

Deputies admitted that Thompson had nothing to do with the car-jacking.

"We share the concerns of the family, the Sheriff's Department is deeply concerned," Katz said. "We certainly know they have questions and they've expressed them. We share those questions and we have questions beyond that of ourselves as well."

The deputy-involved in the shooting has been moved to desk duty.

The results of the investigation will be turned over to the District Attorney's Office to determine whether criminal charges will be filed.

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