By Dana Feldman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - About 500
people protested outside Los Angeles police headquarters on Sunday over the
shooting death of an unarmed black man in California as disturbances continued
in Missouri over the police killing of a black teenager there last week.
Ezell Ford, 25, was killed by police
in Los Angeles on Monday, two days after 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot
dead by a police officer in the St. Louis suburb where he lived.
"He was a humble guy,"
said Ford's cousin, Ceebo Ship, 22.
Ship and other family members said
Ford suffered from an unspecified mental illness and was "slower than the
rest of us," and a gentle person who loved basketball.
Ford's family said he was
cooperating with officers and lying on the ground when shot. The Los Angeles
Police Department (LAPD) said Ford had struggled with officers and was trying
to grab one of their guns when he was shot.
The protesters on Sunday remained
peaceful, many holding up signs that read, "Hands up, don't shoot,"
in reference to witness reports that Brown had his hands up when he was shot
dead Aug. 9. Drivers honked their horns as they went by.
Los Angeles police are investigating
Ford's death, which took place during an investigative stop that led to a
scuffle, a police spokeswoman said.
The LAPD said no officer was hurt in
the incident, and Ford, who was identified by family members, died in a local
hospital.
In Ferguson, Missouri, mostly
peaceful protests deteriorated into chaos late Sunday as riot police fired
smoke and tear gas canisters into the crowd, which included children. Police
said molotov cocktails had been thrown at them.
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