The district attorney of Los Angeles County apologized for what he said was a miscommunication caught on video with the mother of a man who was killed five years ago.
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon said he had not clearly heard a woman who can be seen yelling on video about the failure to find the killer of her son.
“While speaking to colleagues outside of the office, there were individuals yelling on opposite sides of the crowd,” Gascon told Fox 11 Los Angeles. “I did not understand what they were yelling about until later, let alone that they were victims. Regardless, it’s not how I should have reacted. Clearly, this family is in pain, and I will be contacting them to speak directly and hear them out. The defendants in this case are all facing life in prison.”
Gascon was seen on video speaking with a mask over his mouth, but according to audio, he said that the protesters, including the mother of a man who was killed in Los Angeles five years ago, were too uneducated to have a discussion with him.
“It’s unfortunate that we have people that do not have enough education to keep their mouth shut for a moment so we can talk,” he said.
BREAKING: We’ve obtained video of LA D.A. George Gascon at the Pomona courthouse today where he can be heard saying “It’s unfortunate that some people do not have enough education to keep their mouth shut so we can talk” as the family of a murdered victim yells at him. @FOXLA pic.twitter.com/IkHVhhp25u
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) December 19, 2020
“My son can never speak again because he was murdered,” said the woman who Fox 11 reported is the mother of Joshua Rodriguez, the man who was killed in 2015. “He was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered. My son matters.”
Gascon then walked away as a crowd of people harassed him. The district attorney took office in December 2019, and he has promised reforms to the sentencing of drug users and low-level offenders.
