June 04--The Long Beach Police Department on Wednesday released audio of the 911 call that alerted authorities to an intoxicated, unarmed 20-year-old who police later shot to death.
Feras Morad was a college student from Woodland Hills, and his death has sparked anger and protest among family and friends who call the shooting unjust and excessive.
The audio features an unidentified female neighbor speaking to a fire department dispatcher, who then relays information to a police dispatcher.
It's unclear if the audio was the only 911 call made in connection to Morad, but it offers a glimpse into what authorities knew before responding to an alley in the 4600 block of East 15th Street on May 27.
"He fell out of a second-story window, or jumped out," the neighbor says. "He's walking around but he's very intoxicated and bloody."
The dispatcher asks, "Is he violent at all?"
The neighbor replies, "I think he is a little bit violent," later adding: "I think we need police also."
After the call concludes, the dispatcher relays the information to police: "He is drunk and he is violent, and he's bleeding heavily."
The dispatcher notes that the screams and erratic behavior prompted the neighbor to request police presence.
Before the call concludes, the police dispatcher asks, "No weapons?"
The fire dispatcher says, "No weapons."
Police have said that Morad appeared to be on drugs. Cousin Kareem Morad told The Times that Morad had ingested hallucinogenic mushrooms and had a "bad reaction."
According to the police department, when an officer arrived at the scene, Morad was covered in blood after falling out of a second-story window. The officer said he wanted to provide Morad medical attention, but that Morad hastened toward the officer. The officer issued oral commands, applied a Taser and used his flashlight in an attempt to subdue him, but Morad did not comply, police said.
Friends have countered that Morad was not violent and in need of genuine medical attention.
After Morad told "the officer he was going to attack him," the officer opened fire an unknown number of times, police said in a statement.
The shooting is the subject of ongoing investigations by Long Beach police and the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. The officer has not been identified.
