A university police officer who shot a man Sunday night in
Kerckhoff Hall has been identified by police as Officer Terrence
Duren.
The injured alleged trespasser, 52-year-old Willie Davis
Frazier, was in stable condition and was being held under police
protection at a local hospital as of Tuesday afternoon, said Los
Angeles Police Department Detective Vic Pietrantoni, who is
investigating the shooting.
Frazier was booked Tuesday afternoon on two counts of assault
with a deadly weapon and one count of trying to take a weapon from
a police officer, said Nancy Greenstein, director of the UCPD
Police Community Services.
Duren encountered Frazier while patrolling the study lounges in
Kerckhoff Hall on Sunday. Access to the study lounges is restricted
to UCLA students, staff and faculty members, and the UCPD said
Frazier was not associated with the university.
According to the LAPD, a physical altercation ensued between the
two men during which Frazier attempted to seize Duren’s gun.
When Frazier took control of Duren’s baton and tried to
assault him, Duren fired his weapon, wounding Frazier.
Duren was put on paid administrative leave following the
incident as part of UCPD’s standard procedure.
When officer-involved shootings occur within the city of Los
Angeles, the LAPD Robbery Homicide Division conducts an
investigation.
Pietrantoni said there are about 30 detectives in the division
who work with officer-involved shootings. Currently, the LAPD has
been contacted by witnesses interested in talking about the
circumstances of Sunday’s shooting, he added.
Pietrantoni also said little background research on Frazier has
been done. Pietrantoni said Frazier has a Los Angeles address, but
police are not certain if he is a transient.
Although the investigation is not yet complete, another LAPD
detective investigating the incident said Duren acted appropriately
when he fired his weapon.
When aspiring officers go through firearm training, they are
taught about gun safety, gun manipulation, gun retention and
marksmanship, among other things, said LAPD Lieutenant Art
Miller.
“They learn that a weapon is only to be fired in defense
of life ““ their own or someone else’s,” Miller
said.
Upon graduating from firearm training, each officer receives a
handgun with a serial number attached to it. Each police officer is
also assigned a serial number, and the two numbers stay with the
officer for the duration of his or her career.
Weapons are rarely fired by UCPD officers, Greenstein said. But
when they are fired, a strict procedure is followed.
UCPD’s policy and procedures manual defines the firing of
a gun at another human being as a use of “deadly
force.”
The policy states that officers who choose to use deadly force
may do so in self-defense or in the defense of others when serious
physical injury or death appear to be imminent.
Pietrantoni said because each officer has a unique physical
capability and a different level of tolerance for fear, the
circumstances under which the use of deadly force is appropriate
differs for each member of a squad.
“Someone who’s short and petite might not be as
desirous of waiting and trying to fight someone, where an officer
that’s bigger and stronger … can control (a situation)
without using deadly force,” he said. “It’s not
black-and-white.”
Also according to UCPD policy, use of force that results in an
injury ““ or a “complaint of pain” ““ must be
reported.
Officers reporting shootings must notify their supervisors after
the incidents occur. In addition, officers who witness a shooting
must also report to their supervisors, who will determine whether
to file additional reports.
Officers involved in a shooting are also instructed not to
discuss facts surrounding the incident with others involved.
Injured people must be taken for treatment, but the scene of the
shooting must be otherwise kept in its original condition.
Anyone with information regarding Sunday’s shooting
may contact LAPD Detectives Jay Moberly and Vic Pietrantoni at
(213) 485-2531.