Police killing of double amputee in wheelchair sparks outcry and demand for answers

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February 1, 2023

By Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC News

Lowe's family at a press conference — Family members of Anthony Lowe hold a press conference in front of the police department on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023 in Huntington Park, Calif. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES — The death of a double amputee wielding a large knife whom police shot in Huntington Park, California, has sparked a national outcry against the use of force against a person with a disability.

Police say Anthony Lowe, a Black man who lost both his legs last year and had not yet received prosthetics, stabbed a person last Thursday before they used a stun gun and shot him about 10 times throughout his upper body.

Lowe’s family questioned why it was necessary to kill a man who needed a wheelchair to get around.

“I want to achieve truth and justice, because if anybody else would have shot Anthony, with him being a disabled person, they would be in jail now for murder,” said Ebonique Simon, the mother of Lowe’s 15-year-old son. “They wouldn’t be out taking leave with pay.”

[…]

Huntington Park police declined to comment on Lowe’s death or say what happened before the encounter because the shooting is under investigation.

NBC News has more details.

Disabled citizens are especially at risk for police violence.

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