LAPD Identifies Officers Involved In Fatal Skid Row Shooting

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Los Angeles Police Department has released the names of the officers responsible for fatally shooting a homeless man on Skid Row earlier this month.

Sergeant Chand Syed and Officers Francisco Martinez and Daniel Torres on March 1 were responding to a reported robbery in the 500 block of South San Pedro Street when when they got into a struggle with a homeless man, who they believe was their suspect, according to the LAPD.

He was later identified as Cameroon national Charley Robinet.

Robinet allegedly began "fighting and physically resisting the officers' attempts to take him into custody."

An officer used a TASER to subdue him before he fell to the ground, where the struggle continued.

The LAPD reports Robinet tried to grab one of the officers' handguns, prompting officers to open fire.

Robinet was declared dead at the scene.

Two of the officers were treated for minor injuries, the LAPD reports.

Federal authorities say Robinet was a convicted robber who was supposed to be deported, but was released from custody when Cameroon officials failed to cooperate with the deportation effort.

A video posted on Facebook of the incident further fueled protests by community activists already unsettled by police shootings of black men in L.A. and across the country.

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and Mayor Eric Garcetti have called for patience as various departments, including the independent LAPD inspector general and the District Attorney's Office, look into Robinet's death.

All three officers have been placed on leave pending the investigations' outcomes.