“33 shots, 17 hit!,” is just one of many chants that have been heard for the past week in front of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s station in Norwalk, Ca. Activists and family members of the late Fred Holder—a 28 year old man who was killed by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies over the summer—have been gathering daily to let their voices be heard.
“My kids looked up to him,” said Holder’s sister, Hali Montana Holder, during an interview. “Uncle Fred’s not coming back baby. Do you know how hard it is to break that to a four year old?"
On June 23, Holder was driving an allegedly stolen box truck “erratically” near the Tacos Gavilan on Rosecrans Avenue in Norwalk, Ca. Deputies assigned to the Norwalk station conducted an initial traffic stop on a residential street off the 605 freeway. When approached, Holder refused to exit the vehicle. Dashcam footage shows Holder driving away from deputies at 9:50 A.M., and a short chase ensues. The truck Holder is driving stops at the Alondra Blvd off-ramp of the 605 freeway. Deputies perform a felony stop and exit their vehicles with guns drawn. Seconds later, a barrage of bullets are fired, striking Holder more than 10 times and killing him.
Deputies allege that Holder pointed “what they believed to be a firearm” at them, but no body camera footage has been presented to corroborate this claim. Later it was discovered that the alleged gun that deputies claimed they saw, was more than likely an L-shaped lighter. No firearm was found on Holder or at the scene.