/>
The memorial for Reggie Doucet Jr. was held this past Sunday at North Monterey County High School where hundreds turned out to remember and grieve over the handsome 25-year-old college football star-turned-model and personal trainer, who was killed by an LAPD officer in the very early morning hours of January 14.
Last Friday word went around that Doucet’s family had hired attorney Jamon Hicks of The Cochran Firm—the law office founded by the late, great Johnny Cochran.
I spoke to Hicks on Monday at which time he told me that the firm will investigate the circumstances surrounding the young man’s death to determine whether or not a claim for damages will be filed against the LAPD. He said that although the investigation into Doucet’s killing is in its earliest stages, there are elements of the official story that he finds “counterintuitive” and troubling.
“There are things that concern me,” he said.
The LA Weekly has a more extensive account of that official story, but, in short, the following is a brief compilation of what the police and others say occurred:
Reggie Doucet a reportedly arrived home in a cab from a night of clubbing, then discovered he had no money on his person to pay for the cab rigde. He wanted to go inside his condo to retrieve the needed funds and had a loud, possibly drunken argument with the cabbie about it. At some point Doucet took off all his clothes with what is believed to be the off-kilter notion of proving to the cab driver that he wasn’t going to run off without paying. The disturbance grew, and several neighbors called the police.
The rest is from the official LAPD statement:
As the officers were responding to the call, additional citizens called to report a “415 man causing a disturbance.” Upon arrival the officers were directed and located the naked suspect, a male Black, 25- years old, behaving erratically. The officers attempted to speak and detain the suspect, however the suspect ran away and the officers followed the suspect on foot. The suspect ran to another location where he found his shorts and put them on. The officers tried again to talk and detain the suspect, who again ran to another apartment complex a very short distance away.
When the officers attempted to detain the suspect in the apartment complex doorway, the suspect immediately attacked the officers. During the fight the suspect aggressively punched both officers in the face and head. One officer, a male Black, 17 months with LAPD, shot the suspect to stop the attack. The second officer, a male Asian, 5 years with LAPD, was also physically battered and dazed during the incident. The Officers took the suspect into custody and immediately called for medical assistance.
Personnel from the Los Angeles City Fire Department responded and immediately transported the wounded suspect to a local hospital where he died as the result of his injuries.
The police statement was later revised to say that police were “fighting for their lives” and that Doucet was reaching for one of the officer’s service weapon.
Obviously, attempting to determine whether or not Doucet did or did not go for an officer’s gun will be crucial to any investigation.
Hicks says that, in addition to tracking down and interviewing witnesses, the legal firm is awaiting the toxicology reports on Reggie and the official autopsy, which will not be available for weeks. It is his understanding, said Hicks, that Doucet was shot twice. If that is indeed the case, the placement of the wounds will tell a great deal, he said.
Hicks said he is also bothered that the officers did not seem to be trained to find a better, less confrontative way to handle an obviously unarmed, but erratic and distressed person.
“I don’t understand what exigency caused them to escalate situation,” said Hicks. “Look, they can see he’s naked. So there can be no question of whether or not he has a weapon. It seems to me their concern should have been containment. But instead they cornered him until he had no way out.
“It’s things like this that concern me.”
Hicks told me that, thus far, he has discovered no notable prior run ins with the law for Doucet or indications that the young man was prone to violent behavior. He has mostly heard overwhelmingly good things about his clients’ dead son, which is one of the things, Hicks said, that bothers him.
“Of all the cases I’ve handled,” Jamon Hicks said, “Reggie Doucet stands out because he is one of the most loved people I’ve ever seen. I went to the event at the high school and the outpouring of just….love…was amazing.”
Hicks said that it will likely be necessary to actually file a lawsuit in order to get access certain kinds of information, like police reports.
In the meantime, the LAPPL—the police union—has posted several blog entries relating to the shooting. This is a clip from the most recent essay, posted Monday:
Last week, after initially fleeing from police officers, Doucet engaged them in violent, hand-to-hand combat, attempting to disarm at least one of two officers in what the officers described as a “fight for their lives.” When he grabbed for the officer’s gun after fighting with them, Doucet predetermined the tragic outcome of events.
In November 2010, Riverside police officer Ryan Bonaminio was reportedly killed with his own weapon. And only a few weeks ago, Rainier, Oregon Chief of Police Ralph Painter struggled with an “unarmed” suspect who used Painter’s own gun to kill him.
More to come on the case in coming weeks as information becomes available.
Lawyers make me ill, so full of shit and all these people care about is a pay day. I had a personal exprience much the same as these officers with one big difference. There were about 10 people looking on screaming at my partner and I not to hurt the suspect who had opened me up to the point I needed plastic surgery and he almost ripped the holster completely off my partner’s SB. He was 6-1 190, my partner a bit smaller and at the time I weighed about 225 and am 6-1 or so. This was on the front lawn of his ex-girlfriends home where we responded on a disturbance call. I knew the suspect from a prior arrest for sales of rock cocaine and he was a nasty piece of work.
This took place in a pouring rain and he was a combo alcohol and rock cocaine. We were slipping and sliding around and he had caugh me with a hard kick to the face. I was able to finally strike him with my flashlight and he needed about 60 stitches in the back of his head, the two blows I delivered stopped him. I could have shot him and been completely jusified. He wanted and almost got my partners gun, he wanted to kill us and said so.
This piece of shit got low end state prison, 16 months. Unless you’ve been in this type of fight than a person has no clue as to how emotionally and physically draining it is. Oh, my suspect was black, the people watching were all black and one included a school board member. None checked to see how I was after the fight though I was covered in blood and bleeding from my own facial wound, but one came up to the station later to see how I was. It was not the school board member though she did inquire as to how the suspect was.
Just saying…
When does this become enough of a concern that you do a story Celeste? Or is this the wrong venue? That was a serious question, not a poke at you, I understand what this site is about.
http://www.mywesttexas.com/top_stories/article_8f403584-d67c-50e9-9cf0-44bdd132a10f.html
Sounds horrible, SF.
(my above comment was addressing your first comment, BTW.)
I’m noting the trend, and it’s obviously of huge concern. But I’ve not yet seen the right angle on it—other than to simply say that there’s an alarming new trend. However, it’s certainly on my radar. That’s why, for example, in the Reggie Doucet story above I made sure to excerpt the part of the LAPPL blog post that references the two horrible recent instances where police were killed with their own guns, because those things have to have been somewhere on the mind of the rookie who shot Doucet, particularly the Riverside shooting.
I realize that doesn’t get to the larger issue of more police being targeted. But, SF, I’ll keep an eye on it.
Actually, the thing that got to me is that guy outside El Camino HS that shot the LAUSD cop. It was so about NOTHING and in broad daylight and he still shot the officer?
Anyway, I’m glad you brought it up and thanks for the link.
Remember this as well Celeste, there was a large jump in 2009 over 2008 and a larger one in 2010 over 2009. This isn’t by any means a new trend when you look at the past few years. The news simply hasn’t cared as much as they should and people haven’t screamed loud enough. One bad cop story makes people forget about the reality that it’s open season on law enforcement.
Having once been a policeman (in the military many years ago) I can attest to the fact that police work is very misunderstood. After injurious incidents like the one Sure Fire described I developed a fear reaction that made me less tolorant and more aggressive toward perpetrators. It felt as though the odds were becomming less and less in my favor. It was only a two year stint. Can’t imagine a lifetime of it. I honor you Sure Fire and your son. Although I don’t always agree with the way you would suggest handling the crime problem I believe I know exactly where you’re comming from.
So you’re saying that killings of unarmed persons is justified? I get the feeling that majority of the cops in these shooting are extremely aggressive regardless if the person is unarmed and in the nude. The typical story is “we were fighting for our lives” and “he reache for my gun” this story is as old as time. Who is to say that the people that were gunned down weren’t fighting for their own lives? Even Clark said he had an aggressive attitude when he served. If your job is to PROTECT and To SERVE, why does it seem like you KILL and DESTROY first? it seems to me that LAPD is serving itself to some blood shed and protecting their own butts. This man had not commited a crime or killed anyone, but yet lapd feels they were justified in taking his life. I feel you all need to be retrained on how to handle every day situations to where they don’t result in gun play. This story is very similar to Doug Zerby, Dj Henry, and Zac Champommier. This has got to stop.
I believe an officers Job is extremely hard at times and you come into situations that are Dangerous @ ^Sure Fire^ you said u were in Hand to Hand Combat with a person who was a “Cracked out Nasty piece of work” Hurt you and went for you Partners gun and You hit him over the head with your Flash light and “stopped” the attack……….if only that could have been done in Reggie Doucets Case then he would be here to tel his side of the story do his time if necessary but most of all he would stil Be alive. I’m Glad you went home to your Family that nite and I’m glad you used the training you were givin to use non leathal action first still wishing the Officer in Reginal Doucets Case would have done the same. Not every person that Police are called out for are the same Characters every Call is different Reggie happened to be a nice guy obviously miss-understood that night and not all Police are the same trigger Happy People either Some do the right thing Just dont think that was the case in Reggies situation…Sadly
Th position I was in during the time I hit him made my light, which was lying next to me, more quickly accesible than my weapon. If my weapon would have been the more available choice I would have shot him. He was lucky it turned out the way it did as was I and my partner that he didn’t get his gun. When would have been the right time for me to shoot the guy that opened up my face Concerned Citizen? Once he actually got my partners gun so it would be fair and hope I was quicker than him? I can tell a dead cop means nothing to someone like you. Kill and Destroy first, you are seriously full of shit.
Anyone who thinks that shooting an unarmed suspect should never be the answer in this type of situation is out of their mind. That people would post and automatically assume the cop is always wrong in this situation dosn’t care one bit about cops going home to their families. As it’s open season on cops now, actually has been for awhile, that makes those types of comments even more wrong.
Concerned Citizen, go out their and do a ride-along in Rampart, 77th, Huntington Park, Pomona, Anaheim, Santa Ana, LASD stations or just about any agency that gets a lot of activity and see how all our citizens behave. You don’t have a clue as to what even smaller agencies deal with these days. My son works in a city with a good sized police force, not huge, in what’s thought to be a nice area and is constantly busy with not just property crime and drunk drivers like most people would think, but robberies, gangs and narco sales.
It’s a new world out there and assholes are everywhere, open your eyes and take a look.
I have been following this tragedy from the day that it happen and I was sadden by the fact that this continue to keep happening all over the world especially with the LAPD they have a name for killing blacks and getting away with it and what disturbs me the most is that all of the victims are unarmed and pose no danger or threat. After reading about Reginald Doucet tragedy I felt like everything that the police said happen didn’t I feel that it didn’t happen the way they said it happen I feel that they felt that they were above the law Reginald Doucet should not have lost his life as a result of them being above the law it was no reason for them to kill him he was unarmed it angers me that they would even shoot him and they knew that he was unarmed and could not harm or hurt them in anyway I do not believe that they ever had a struggle with him I believe that if their were any injuries they were self inflicted to cover up the full truth its a cover up and I feel that something needs to be done about it I feel so sad for his family they lost a son he was a father, brother, and is loved by so many people the person that they are describing his family said they never saw that side of him that speaks volumes in itself because they know there son Reginald character and it just don’t add up he didn’t have a criminal record or was he violent so why?? all of a sudden its changed something is not right about the whole statement that they made up to cover up the truth . I listen to the radio archives and it really angers me because to me they was not trying to get him help and the worst part of that tape hearing that policeman call in that he had shot the suspect and he was down still breathing but unconsciouss and then a few minutes later he calls back to say code 4 not breathing and then to hear someone over the radio say good job how dare you after the fact you took this young man life it’s heart wrenching I also read where they shot him two times point blank range in the neck why? what was his reason for his unjustified actions to me he felt he was above the law and I hope and pray that Reginald Doucet Family gets justice and I will continue to follow this tradgey until the truth comes out and justice is served. I will continue to keep the Doucet Family Uplifted in Prayer.
I truly believe that there are a lot of law enforcement that are here to protect and serve, who are properly trained and who do respond as they should, according to the scenario at hand. However, the tragic incident regarding Reggie Doucet is one I find where the story is fabricated to serve it’s own purpose. We live in a world where most things are shades of grey, most things are rarely clear-cut, so for people to automatically side with law enforcement, just because of who they are and what they represent, is unreal to me. How the constant stated defense that Reggie reached for an officer’s gun is so quickly believed, without real thought, astounds me. You do not have to know Reggie and his captivating personality, to think the story does not add up. The officers were called due to a “disturbance”, not a high-speed chase, not someone driving under the influence, there was no drug exchange occurring, this wasn’t a person on parole/probation or having an outstanding warrant, the officers were called for a noise disturbance, not even a domestic violence situation. So why would Reggie, a father who always had plans of making things happen in his life, who knew the only thing he was doing wrong was making noise at 3am and having an issue with an unpaid cab fare, escalate the issue to the point of reaching for an officer’s gun? Really, the officer’s version is that easy to believe? Or, is it possible that the officer panicked or failed to use other means to restrain Reggie, and the story was embellished to justify Reggie’s killing?
It’s very, very difficult to convict police officers. And they know it.
Killing a naked guy, killing man holding a water hose on a porch without as much as saying “drop you’weapon’,” killing an autistic guy. It’s all par for the course for cops.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/01/family-of-victim-killed-by-ex-lapd-officer-fired-for-lying-awarded-17-million.html
Cops and criminals, two sides of the same coin.
We’re not ever thinking of that when we shoot people, you’re a fool to think otherwise. I could go step through step on all of mine but an ignorant ass like you wouldn’t care or understand.
AMF.
Always amazed that people are so quick to back a guy they didn’t know based on statements by friends and family members they don’t know and so quick to say a cop lied without anything concrete to back up that assumption.
Go into any news story and you’ll see the family and friends of a useless gangster fuck talking about what a great brother or great father this guy was and how the cops had no right to shoot him. What a bunch of bullshit, he could have been shooting at cops and you’d hear the same crap and cop haters here would be on board with it.
#Sure Fire Its sad that you would leave such negative comment disrespecting Reginald and the Doucet Family during there time of tradgey and grief it is sad that you would even say the things that you are saying for once step outside yourself and walk in this family shoes dealing with the lost of there son father, brother,and family this is a tradgey that this young man Reginald had to lose his life as a result of a policeman felt he is above the law and takes his life Reginald Doucet should not have lost his life as a result of this cop thinking he is above the law and it angers me when people get on blogs or articles and make such nasty and ugly comments against the victim and the family being so disrespectful and trying to make him out to be the bad person when they are the ones in the wrong it really angers me because no matter what you say the truth will prevail and God is and will show up and show out in this tradgey when its all said and done the truth is going to shine as bright as the sun . I will continue to keep the Doucet Family Uplifted in Prayer
It’s not about Reginald, it’s about shootings in general where the suspect isn’t armed and people, without having all the facts, crucify the cop or cops involved. On the flip side if people that sound like you read about cops getting killed, like they have many times this month that I’ve posted on and provided links for you don’t say a word.
I’ve been in more than one battle with an unarmed guy, one such incident that I posted on here where I had every right to shoot and would have shot him if my gun would have been more handy than my flashlight. Having years of fighting people in the line of duty give me a better insight than you on this.
You said Reginald lost his life cause this cop felt he was above the law without anything close to facts or proof to back it up. Spare me the cop hate drivel and than try to tell me God was on his side, I know better as I’ve been in these situations and know better.
Put yourself in this man’s shoes. Lets say you were off duty (those of you who are officers) and someone shot at you and killed you would believe that it was fair or even right? Especially if you were unarmed and they had no reason what so ever to kill you. There are actual criminals out their who commit murders and crimes and have the intention on killing people and you go and murder an innocent man. I have had the pleasure of meeting Reginald and a few of his family members and when I say he was a remarkable and honest man I mean exactly that. There will always be two sides to every story, but unfortunately a dead man can’t speak. So are we supposed to go by what the cops say just because they are alive???? I think not. Cops put their lives on the line every day and that is what they signed up for, but I feel that they should do whatever it takes to avoid situations where anyone has to lose their life. Especially an unarmed man in just his boxers. This cop took this man away from his two year old daughter. Do you have a heart? Your use of profanity @surefire shows your ignorance and its sad that you feel that way. All ignorance will be silenced once the truth comes out. I feel you have a great amount of issues with yourself and you may need to work them out before you judge any of God’s children.
The issue is that the incident needs to be thoroughly investigated. Yes, there are officers doing a tremendous job and are placed in dangerous situations. Just the same as there are innocent people getting shot and killed by officers. To believe it’s always the officer or always the person killed’s fault, is ignorant. In this instance, the LAPD seemed so quick to try and dismiss this case until they realized the amount of attention this incident has drawn, that they had no choice but to respond that they would investigate further. To SURE FIRE, yes there are people that may come to the defense of someone who others feel is not worthy of a defense. However, all you have to do is take a quick look at the amount of people who have already attested to Reggie’s character (not people who have heard the story, but people who KNEW Reggie) in less than 2 weeks, and you can see the media’s negative portrayal is off. Rest in Peace, Reggie.
@ The very first comment My father is an officer in the Fraternal order of police.. Never have I heard police shooting a suspect in the NECK TWICE! That’s all I have to say.. This life didn’t have to be taken from us.. Rest in Peace Reggie.
Here’s what the Doucet family lawyer said.
I spoke to Hicks on Monday at which time he told me that the firm will investigate the circumstances surrounding the young man’s death to determine whether or not a claim for damages will be filed against the LAPD. He said that although the investigation into Doucet’s killing is in its earliest stages, there are elements of the official story that he finds “counterintuitive” and troubling.
“There are things that concern me,” he said.
I don’t have a problem with that statement, he’s not saying the cop murdered anyone. That’s not what I see here from people who weren’t there and have no facts to base their opinion on. People act out that you never would expect would. People have said that about Mr. Doucet and I would bet that none of them would have believed he would have been running around naked in the middle of the night right?
It’s quite a stretch for me to call this officer a murderer, yet some here have said so. Mr. Doucet, sounds like he had either PCP or a combo alcohol and cns stimulant on board when this took place. I don’t know him, I don’t know what he was like but I’ve seen the type of actions he displayed before and it’s usually because of some type of drug intoxication. Guess that will come out soon enough.
As for my language, I think labeling cops as murderers and criminals is obscene, think of my language anyway you want.
looks like logic rules the day as it always should.
I was Reggie’s Sports Medicine teacher at North Monterey High School. He was the sweetest, kindest, most rewarding student I ever had. This is an absolute travesty.
If any friends or family of Reggie’s read this- I am willing to testify publicly to his strength of character, if it would help at all.
Thank you, Leigh, for expressing what you know about Reggie.