Council Members Pay Condolence To A Mother Whose Son Was Fatally Shot By Inglewood Police Officers

By DPM

More than a dozen supporters appeared at the city council meeting to protest the Inglewood police officers who shot and killed a mentally ill man last week.

Petra Mora’s grief was palpable as she spoke tearfully in Spanish about what the death of her son, Ivan Solis Mora, 34, who had schizophrenia.  Ivan’s mental illness was well-known by the police because the family had called the department for assistance in the past to help them manage him when he had a mental health episode; however, he was never violent, the family said. 

Last week, the family called the police when Ivan was having another mental health challenge.  When Ivan resisted the officers and retreated into the family’s backyard, the police followed him and fatally shot him six times, a supporter said.  

 “I came to ask for justice for my son because he was killed unfairly by cops,” said Mora through a translator. To date, the family doesn’t know the names of the officers or what their status is. Other supporters spoke at the council meeting calling for justice and transparency in the investigation.

“Most major cities recognize the need to equip their officers with body cameras and most of the time they explain that (the cameras) are there to protect the officers to support their version of what happened,” said Cliff Smith from the Coalition for Community Control over the Police who addressed the council members during community comment. “The City of Inglewood has refused to purchase body camera equipment. They said they can’t afford the expense,” said Smith.

We will hold  a march to the Inglewood Police Station at 10 a.m. on Sunday, October 1,” said Smith.  “We will meet at 10024 So. Grevillea Ave. in Inglewood, south of Century Boulevard.

Each council member shared their heartfelt condolences.  Moreover, Mayor James Butts said that the city has zero tolerance for bad actors, stating that the city has a record of terminating police who fail to uphold their duties. “We have a reverence for life,” said Butts.

Following the emotional statements by Mora’s supporters, Maria Pineda appealed to the council to hold a press conference and offer a $25,000 reward for anyone who can provide a tip that leads to the arrest of three motorists who killed her son, Jose Samuel Pineda, while racing in District 4.  Butts agreed that the city would provide the funds for the reward. A press conference will be held at 3 p.m. on Thursday, October 5^th.

And there was good news from the Inglewood Unified School District.  School Board President Brandon G. Meyers reported that one of the district’s teachers, Eddie Conner, was honored at the Los Angeles Office of Education’s Teacher Appreciation Luncheon.