LA MESA, Calif. (KGTV)- Wednesday morning, 59-year-old Leslie Furcron slowly made her way to reporters outside the La Mesa Police Department to speak for the first time since she was shot in the forehead by the police bean bag during a protest and then hospitalized.
“I'm a law-abiding citizen and I never came here that night for this to be a part of my story,” she said.
Attorney Dante Pride said she was one of the thousands of people in front of the La Mesa Police Department two Saturdays ago where she was peacefully protesting police violence. At the time she was hit, police say officers deemed the gathering an unlawful assembly so they began to use measures to disperse protesters, including tear gas and bean bag rounds. He added that she can't remember everything because of her injury. He did address the Facebook Live video she posted, which appeared to show her throwing a can.
“The information that we have now is that she threw a can on the ground and in retaliation for that is when the La Mesa Police Department officers targeted and shot her in the face,” he told reporters.
In a timeline released on Tuesday by city officials, a round was fired from about 40 yards away toward her after she was reportedly seen throwing an object at deputies.
“There is nothing on camera or anywhere that will show that she made an officer of La Mesa Police Department either fear for their life or injured them,” he told reporters.
“I'm a god-serving person. I'm a mother and a grandmother,” he stated.
Pride said that his firm has now filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the City to get the names of the officers who were directly involved in the incident.
On Wednesday, the La Mesa Police Department sent 10News the following statement:
“Chief Walt Vasquez would like to issue the following statement regarding the Leslie Furcron incident: ‘I am sincerely thankful that Ms. Furcron has been released from the hospital and is able to now heal at home with her family. I pray that she has a speedy and full recovery. I can assure Ms. Furcron, her family, and the public that this unfortunate incident will be fully investigated, to include an in-depth look at our crowd control practices. The men and women of the La Mesa Police Department work tirelessly to provide quality and professional police services for all members of our community. Our hope is that we will all come together to heal the wounds, nurture a culture of open communication, and make the City of La Mesa a better and safer place to live.’”
