LANCASTER – Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris and members of the City Council Monday released a joint statement addressing the recent deputy-involved shooting that left 26-year-old Christian Cobian dead.
“The deputies involved in this incident and their families have the full support of Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris and City Council Members during this extremely difficult time when they will inevitably be second guessed by those who have never had to risk their lives while protecting the hard working families of our community,” the statement read.
Around 10:55 p.m. Saturday, Cobian was pulled over by a two-deputy patrol car for riding a bicycle without a light near 10th Street West and Avenue J-4 in Lancaster. Cobian ignored deputies’ commands to stop, dropped the bicycle and fled, according to a Sheriff’s press report. Deputies gave chase, and during the pursuit, Cobian reached toward his waistband, and that’s when the deputy-involved shooting occurred, according to the Sheriff’s press report. No weapon was recovered and Cobian was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Sheriff’s report. Read the entire Sheriff’s press report here.
Read the entire statement by the Mayor and the Lancaster City Council below:
STATEMENT FROM CITY OF LANCASTER MAYOR R. REX PARRIS AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS REGARDING JANUARY 21, 2012 LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT DEPUTY-INVOLVED SHOOTING
Unfortunately, Saturday evening’s incident in a life threatening situation resulted in tragic consequences. As a standard practice in occurrences such as this, investigations are currently ongoing by both the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Once concluded, the results of these investigations will be fully reported.
The deputies involved in this incident and their families have the full support of Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris and City Council Members during this extremely difficult time when they will inevitably be second guessed by those who have never had to risk their lives while protecting the hard working families of our community.
Mayor R. Rex Parris
Vice-Mayor Ron Smith
Council Member Marvin Crist
Council Member Sandra Johnson
Council Member Ken Mann
Matthew says
When the use of force policies can justify killing under virtually every circumstance (who hasn’t pulled up baggy pants when running?), we are all at risk of arbitrary execution. Christian was not threatening the deputies, nor was he a threat to anyone else. When the coroner’s report shows that he was shot in the back, I hope there is some consideration of different methods of apprehending suspects. Death is not the answer.
AV Town Crier says
Nicole
The DA may be a joke, but you have several other investigations. You have Lancaster station doing one, Robbery/homicide doing their own. You have Internal affairs. The Coroner’s office does their inquest, and you have a independent citizen’s over-site committee (or something to that affect) that also does an investigation.
The facts will come out.
Ryan says
When refernce is made on this poor soul regarding his criminal record, reference should be made to the fact that the Sherrif Department of both Palmdale and Lancaster, specialy Lancaster, are being investigating by the Department of Justice and FBI for thier treatment of minorities.
John Bevings says
Poor soul? He was a gangster. And btw go learn how to spell dumb [removed].
Nicole says
The Mayor waistes no time, anything to be in the news, sick,
David Cox says
Let’s look at the facts as have been reported so far, as well as some common sense that should have been taught to children – adult children as well as those of minor age – by their parent, parents, or guardian.
The suspect involved was on a bicycle in the vicinity of Avenue J-4 and 10th Street West on a Saturday late evening around 10:55 P.M. First off, whatever did he *have* to purchase from a store that late? I don’t unless it’s emergency prescriptions from the pharmacy. Do it in more appropriate hours if at all possible. Those on bicycle may be law abiding, but given the hour of the night and the location, could be an indicator to law enforcement of something illegal about to take place, such as a burglary (bike present to provide a faster getaway perhaps).
Anytime law enforcement tells you to stop moving, walking or peddling a bicycle in this case, you do it. I learned that many decades ago as a child in school. The parents need to tell their children this basic fact.
Once off and running, the suspect reached into their waistband. Law enforcement can’t read minds. They realize that might well be scratching an itch or something innocuous, but it also might be reaching for some kind of a weapon. They are well trained personnel. If you were in their place, and it’s *your* life on the line, what would you think the suspect might have in mind. . . all in the time of a second or two? Probably harm to the law enforcement folks, and rightly so.
All the circumstances of how this individual suspect acted were not in his favor. Some of these were preventable. Parents, teach your children well. Learn from this incident. There’s no reason to repeat it.
Sandy says
Absolutely, if you are out shopping after 9pm, you’re clearly *BEGGING* to be shot. His shopping habits were clearly “inappropriate” so he deserved to be shot. (rolls eyes)
--- says
Shopping habits? lol!!!!!!! you mean thieving habits??? this MAN was a CONVICTED FELON!!!!
Jo says
My 20yr old is out almost every night between 10 and 12. He gets a craving for sour candy. Except for the fact that he has a car, EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT HIM AND THIS DEAD KID IS THE SAME. (except he’s an A student at the college and has a job) SAME STORE as this young man was going to. (Nice people, father and son from India. father works on the base during the day, son is a math graduate from UCLA) K2 store.
Per your twisted logic, my son is fair game. With people like David around, the sheriffs KNOW they can get away with anything.
Don’t shop after 9??!!!? Really?
Moises says
No one deserves to die.
AV Town Crier says
You are correct. It really doesn’t matter why he was out at that hour–that’s not relevant. What is that he didn’t have lights on the bike and was ridding on the sidewalk. The deputies did their job in making a routine traffic stop.
He (the suspect) made the decision to run, he new that the cops had guns, plus he new who they were. The cops did NOT know (at the time) who he was and whether he had a weapon. Once the pursuit started, the suspect made a second bad choice, he reached for his wasteband. The deputies had no choice.
The reason for the number of shots fired is that it’s very hard to hit a moving target. They rapidly fired a few shots each until the suspect went down.
As far as I can see, it was by the book. But, we’ll have to wait for all the independent investigations to be completed to know for sure all the facts. The investigation of the shooting scene, angle of bullets etc. will either back the deputies story, or will show that the deputies violated policy (or even committed a felony). We’ll just have to wait and see.
As far as Mayor Parris and the City Council standing in support of the deputy, my hat’s off to them. I’m glad to see that they are standing by the deputies. After all, there is the presumption of innocence on their part as well. I think we as a community should support the deputies. They put their lives on the line for us day in and day out. I know that I stand behind them until they are proven wrong. Again, the investigations will bear that out.
David Cox says
Agreed. Well stated. Thanks.
Stinger says
In reference to the deputies, I agree with you in your assessment of the situation.
As for the statement of “King Parris & his court of fools,” I must admit to bias that makes just about anything that they say suspect.
-- says
He didn’t get killed because of a dim light. He got killed, because he ignored deputies, ran from them, then put his hand in his watiband. The police do not know if he’s pulling out a gun, and they are not about to sit around and wait to see if he pulls the trigger first.
Matt S says
— how do you know? And since he didn’t have a gun, looks like they could of waited some time before that trigger was pulled.
Do you believe if the deputies did something wrong here they would tell us?
What? Did you think they would say “oops! sorry”? The LA times just did a story on the high rate of “waistband” shootings by the sheriffs.
“Waistband shootings” are particularly controversial because the justification for the shootings can conceivably be fabricated after the fact, according to the county monitor’s report, which was commissioned by the county Board of Supervisors and which analyzed six years of shooting data.”
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/sep/23/local/la-me-unarmed-shootings-20110923
You would think after killing enough unarmed people, they would start screening for trigger happy sheriffs.
abc says
or you would think that someone would NOT run when he has been instructed NOT TO. This guy was a felon and knew he was about to get caught and taken to jail. The amount of sympathy for criminals on this piece of [removed] website is unbelievable!!!!
Matt S says
So if you run, you should be shoot. Guess you can tell rex to close the court house. Sheriffs will now be judge and jury. The same sheriffs being investigated by the FBI, DOJ and with lawsuits brought by the ACLU for deaths in the jails.
Why won’t you go after ALL criminals? Why just the poor ones?
abc says
no dumb[removed]! instead of talking crap about the deputies why dont you walk a day or two in their shoes?????? or are you too chicken[removed]????? yeah, thats what i thought!!!!
Moises says
This guy was no felon, much less a piece of (removed). How would you feel if this was a family member of yours?
Sandy says
Agreed. The “reaching for the waistband” excuse is likely a fabrication generated to protect the police. Ten bucks says the guy was shot in the back, running away.
For the record, I’m a white gal with no arrests; and when I read stories like this I build up enough terror about the cops that I’m pretty sure *I* might run if the cops tried detaining me. They aren’t Serving and Protecting, they are Terrorizing and Abusing.
I’d run from them too!
AV Town Crier says
Matt
The four independent investigations will determine if the facts of the shooting (the physical evidence) jibes with what the deputies have stated. If it doesn’t, then the deputies can be charged.
David Cox says
Indeed. No one is saying the deputies are in the clear just because they are deputies. Every fact must be examined and checked out thoroughly, and if it turns out there are discrepancies between the physical evidence and the deputies’ written statements, the deputies involved could be charged by the District Attorney with a felony here.
Nicole says
The Distric Attorney is a a complete joke.
Concern Citizen says
This is an outrage to think that you can get killed because you had a dim light on your bike. What right did the deputies had to even bother this young man for that. The young man had been at his brother’s and sister’s baptism and left to get something at the store. Gunshots were heard a short while later. His family rushed to the scene. Horrible he was not hurting anyone he was enjoying the company of his family that day. Shame on those police officers I dont understand how this continues to happen you would think that police officers have some sort of training.