Family members are pressing the Long Beach Police Department to quickly release body camera video and 911 call data that could shed more light on how and why they fatally shot a 38-year-old man at a North Long Beach church last week.
Brandon Boyd, a father of six, was killed after an hourslong standoff with police on Nov. 19 on the steps of the Iglesia De Cristo Miel Church near Atlantic Avenue and 52nd Street. Police said Boyd was armed, and an officer was wounded in an exchange of gunfire that ended in his death.
Long Beach police have said they confronted Boyd after getting a text message about a “man with a gun” outside the church — a message they said they later learned Boyd himself sent. But at a news conference held by the local Black Lives Matter chapter on Tuesday, Boyd’s family said he contacted police looking for help in the midst of “a mental health crisis.”
“[Brandon] didn’t live in the city anymore, but this was always home for him. And he came back here for help,” said Tyerra Boyd, his oldest sister.
Brandon Boyd lived in “a neighboring city,” Tyerra Boyd said, but the family grew up going to the Iglesia De Cristo Miel Church.
Police have said they negotiated with Brandon Boyd for more than two hours before the shooting. During that time, officers saw he had a gun and tried to get him to surrender it, police said.
The situation came to a head when officers threw a flashbang toward Brandon Boyd and gunfire broke out, according to video from ABC7’s helicopter. One officer was wounded in the arm, and Brandon Boyd was dead after four officers fired an estimated 10 rounds, according to police.
Despite the fact that police called in a specially trained mental evaluation team, the Boyd family said the mental health resources were not actually used to de-escalate the situation. The family said they were also at the scene, but police barred them from talking to Brandon Boyd, only once being allowed to give him cigarettes he asked for.
On the night of the shooting, Long Beach Police Chief Wally Hebeish described Brandon Boyd as “noncompliant” and “nonresponsive” while officers tried to negotiate with him. He credited officers for their patience in the face of “very real dangers that our law enforcement officers face every day.”
After the shooting, police said three people entered into and disrupted the crime scene. They alleged one also battered an officer.
Desiree Boyd, another of Brandon Boyd’s sisters, said she suffered a fractured right arm when she was detained by officers that night. The other two people arrested were also relatives, the family said.
“We were mourning the loss of our brother and instead of compassion, they gave us violence and terror,” Tyerra Boyd said.
The police department did not respond to questions about whether officers used force on the Boyd family and if anyone was injured.
Alongside members from the Black Lives Matter Long Beach chapter, the Boyd family laid out their demands Tuesday on the steps of the church where Brandon was fatally shot:
- Release the 911 call that led to the incident
- Release the names of all four officers involved
- Release police body-camera footage of what happened
- Drop all charges against the family members who were arrested
- Charge the officers who killed Brandon Boyd
Audrena Redmond of BLM Long Beach said she would like to see Mayor Rex Richardson “hold the police department accountable.
“I know as the leader of the city there’s a line he has to toe, but there needs to be some accountability,” Redmond said.
The LBPD said it “anticipates releasing body-worn camera footage from the incident in the near future.”
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is also reviewing the incident, which is standard for all officer-involved shootings.
As of Tuesday afternoon, a GoFundMe set up in Brandon’s honor had gained nearly $3,500 toward its $30,000 goal.
Boyd leaves behind three biological children and three stepchildren, according to his family.
“We are humbly asking for your help to cover funeral expenses and support his children,” his sister Tiffany Boyd wrote on the GoFundMe.
Brandon was a dedicated father who “never ever gave up on his family,” Tiffany said.
He was also a shoe enthusiast who could outdress anyone.
“He just had style, he had grace,” Tyerra said. “He just loved people, he was a positive light.”