The identity of a homeless man shot dead by Los Angeles police remains a mystery after French consular officials have confirmed he was not a French national, as was previously reported.
On Tuesday, anonymous law enforcement officials were quoted by news outlets, naming the 39-year-old man killed by the LAPD on Sunday as Charley Saturmin Robinet, described as a French citizen who served 15 years in a US federal prison for bank robbery.
Late on Tuesday evening, the French embassy in Washington confirmed that the man was not in fact a French citizen, leading to speculation he may have been using a stolen identity at the time of his previous arrest.
The fatal incident occurred at Skid Row in downtown LA, an enclave used by homeless people to pitch tents. It was caught on video and has gone viral around the world and shows the man – who had been identified only as “Africa” to other residents of Skid Row – shot at five times by officers during an altercation.
French consular officials in Los Angeles told the Associated Press that the “real Charley Robinet” was living a “totally normal life” in France and was “totally unaware his identity had been stolen years and years ago”.
All further inquiries over how the mistaken identity was made public were referred to the LAPD, who declined to comment when contacted by the Guardian and said the task of establishing the man’s identity was with the coroner’s office.
The man who assumed Robinet’s identity was part of a gang who robbed a Wells Fargo bank in Thousand Oaks, 40 miles outside of downtown LA, in 2000.
The gang were chased by police and the man using the identity of “Charley Robinet” was caught with $33,500 in his possession after he attempted to flee on foot. According to court records, he told investigating officers that he had wanted to use the money to pay for acting classes in Beverly Hills.
LA police have said that the 39-year-old had attempted to grab an officer’s weapon before he was shot dead on Sunday. The LAPD’s Force Investigative Division will conduct an investigation into the incident in coordination with the LAPD’s office of inspector general.
