Only On 2: Family Of Man Wounded In Hollywood Officer-Involved Shooting Speaks Out

HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA.com)  —  The family of a man wounded in an officer-involved shooting in Hollywood is speaking out.

It's a story that is Only On 2.

The shooting occurred in Hollywood overnight near Hollywood Boulevard at Cherokee Avenue.

The suspect reportedly got into an argument with a group of men and then went to his car to retrieve a gun.

His family, speaking to CBS2's Greg Mills, disputed that police version of events.

Tegan James Stephens' family gathered Sunday morning at the location where LAPD officers shot and wounded Stephens.

Police said Stephens, 33, was observed going to his SUV and pulling out a gun to confront three men he had been arguing with.

"You know if my son had a gun, they would have killed him. They would have killed my child," Stephens' mother said.

Around 2 a.m. bars along Hollywood Boulevard were closing.

The streets were filled with a Memorial Day weekend crowd, Mills reported.

Stephens family said he was in town visiting from Las Vegas, where he resides. He had spent the evening with two friends at a supper club.

Police said they were watching the argument with Stephens and the other men very closely. A police substation is across the street from where the shooting took place.

"I couldn't sleep and then I heard five pops," says neighbor Mary Montgomery. "And then I heard a police officer say "get on the ground, get on the [expletive deleted] ground,'" she added.

Another witness told Mills she heard police yelling, "Drop your weapon, drop your weapon."

Ralph Harrison, the family's attorney said, "Based on statements I read from witnesses, he was on his way back to his vehicle and before he got there, police opened fire on him."

The LAPD says they retrieved a gun from the scene.

The lawyer contends Stephens has a permit to carry a concealed weapon but that he never pulled it out last night.

The family gathered at the location after visiting Stephens in the hospital. The suspect was shot in the stomach. After surgery, he is in stable condition.

Stephens was handcuffed to his hospital bed and will be jailed as soon as he is able to leave the hospital.