- Police Brutality Watch

The Federal Bureau of Investigation opened an investigation Wednesday into the controversial police shooting of 13-year-old Devin Brown, while the Los Angeles Police Department tried to calm community outrage by releasing preliminary details of how a joyriding incident turned deadly. "The FBI has now joined the investigation and will be looking into this from the U.S. Attorney's Office perspective, related to potential civil-rights violations -- similar to the (federal investigation of the) Stanley Miller incident," LAPD Chief William Bratton said at a press conference. Bratton said that, before the Police Commission meeting Tuesday, he plans to outline a new policy that would prohibit officers from shooting into moving vehicles with some exceptions. Such a policy has been under consideration for a year. "We already have one of the tightest policies in the country. We are going to tighten the policy a little more, put additional language in to assist our officers in making decisions at the conclusion of these pursuits," said Bratton, adding that he is also redefining the amount of force officers will be allowed to use. The fatal shooting at the end of a police pursuit Sunday has ignited outrage among African-American community leaders, who have said Officer Steve Garcia, a nine-year veteran of the LAPD, was too quick to fire 10 shots into the stolen Toyota Camry. [more]