Woodrow Player III, 22, was shot to death by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies on July 10, 2009, in the 11200 block of Berendo Avenue in Westmont. Deputies responded to a 9-1-1 call from a woman who said her former boyfriend had threatened her with a handgun. Officers say they found a vehicle matching that description, the driver fled on foot, and during the pursuit Player pointed a dark object at deputies who believed it was a gun; they opened fire. A cellphone was recovered near Player’s body and a loaded handgun was later found in the vehicle.

The shooting provoked controversy and calls for a federal review. Civil rights leaders and Player’s family questioned the deputies’ account and expressed distrust of the Sheriff’s Department’s ability to investigate impartially. Internal affairs, the county’s Office of Independent Review and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office reviewed the incident. In a later civil trial the deputies were found not liable after a jury accepted the deputies’ testimony that they acted in self-defense.

Anyone who witnessed the July 10, 2009 events or has information about what happened that night is asked to come forward.