Man who was shot by LAPD during exchange of gunfire is charged with attempted murder
Prosecutors have charged a 23-year-old man with attempted murder after he allegedly shot at police in South L.A., prompting one officer to fire back and wound him.
Quentin Durity also faces charges of assault on a peace officer and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to Greg Risling, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. He is scheduled to be arraigned in January.
The events leading up to the shooting began about 10:30 p.m. Sunday, when police say uniformed gang officers saw a large group of people gathering at a home on 99th Street in South L.A.’s Vermont Vista neighborhood.
The officers knew the residence — on 99th near Figueroa Street — was a “congregation point for gang members” and recognized multiple people in the crowd as gang members, said LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, who offered new details about the shooting at a news conference this week.
The officers stopped their car and approached the group, which started to scatter, Beck said. As people ran, he said, several tossed guns on the ground and over fences.
One person fired a shot at the officers, Beck said. An officer fired a single shot back, he said.
Police set up a perimeter and began to the search the area. During the search, Beck said, one man tried to walk out of the area. Police noticed he had a gunshot wound and took him into custody, believing he could be the man who fired at police.
That man was later identified as Durity. Beck said he was treated for the gunshot wound, then booked on suspicion of attempted murder.
No officers were injured.
Several people who were inside the home were also detained and interviewed, Beck said. Three other men — Bryan Jean-Pierre, 28; Artis Perez, 21; and Kamal Key, 19 — were arrested and later charged with various gun or ammunition violations.
Jean-Pierre and Key pleaded not guilty to the charges Wednesday. It was unclear if Perez has entered a plea.
Detectives found nine guns during their investigation, Beck said. Some were recovered from the front and back yards surrounding the home on 99th Street; others were discovered when police served a search warrant.
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