March 26, 2021- 7:10 p.m
A man shot dead by a Riverside police officer during a chase was holding a loaded handgun, authorities said Tuesday. Jehlani Black, 19, of Riverside, died at the scene on March 9 after he and two other people were seen spray-painting graffiti on a wall at the rear of a business, according to a video released by the Riverside Police Department.
Someone spotted them and yelled at the group to stop, prompting Black to turn and display a handgun in his waistband, according to the video.
The witness called 911. Police arrived and the group fled, with an officer radioing that Black was running with a gun in his hand. Video from police body cameras showed Black being chased as an officer shouts at him to stop. On the video, Police Chief Larry Gonzalez said another officer caught up to Black, who ducked underneath the metal railing on a handicap access ramp of a building.
“He turned toward the officer with the gun in his right hand,” Gonzalez said. The officer yelled at Black to get on the ground and drop the gun and fired two shots, according to the video.
Black collapsed. Despite life-saving efforts, he died at the scene, Gonzalez said. A 16-year-old boy who was believed to have been with Black before the chase was arrested on suspicion of gang graffiti vandalism and was released to his parents, the chief said.
