Reginald Doucet Jr., 25 [Update]

Don't ever try to take a police officer's gun. Even if you're naked!

Don't believe everything you read. RIP Reggie. What they did was wrong and they know it. You inspired me in so many ways, and I'll never forget our last conversation. I'm gonna miss you and Love you always and my condolences to the family. Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal

I usually side with the police on matters dealing with guns and bad guys. they have a tough job. However, in this instance I am more than baffled. Naked guy, obviously no weapon, no place to hide one, reportedly drunk or high and LAPD has to kill him? No taser, no rubber bullets, pepper spray, dog, billy club? From all the reports seemed like a decent guy. I don't think he deserved to die. My condolences to the Doucet family, I am sorry for your loss.

Im for law and order but something is wrong. Are you telling me that Two trained officers could not Pepper spray, Taser, Tackle this guy, or anything else. I want to know how tall this guy was I have a feeling he was on the short side. I beleive the novice officer over reacted. I want to speak to the other officer on duty with him, Do not cover for Him, I have a feeling that God Almighty is going to reveal the truth rather quickly and if you are caught covering up the truth your job will be in jepoardy also as well. Young people leave the alcohol alone.

IF the guy WAS high on a drug that gives one super human strength, such as PCP or some of these "club drugs", the means of submission that these officers had on hand wouldnt be effective. Such as hand to hand, or their "billy clubs" or pepper spray. (Not all officers carry beanbags or tasers) I work for the LAFD and have seen the police shoot individuals in the chest that are "high" and then SEE THEM GET UP! Unfortunately, their will be alot of public outrage because the deceased was black. We can all sit their and point fingers and say "could have should have". The guy can still be deadly even if he is small in physical stature.

It seems to me that this guy was probably on PCP, which as already mentioned can give the abuser more power than the normal human being. The police officers in this case may have done everything by the book. Remember, this is America where we are all innocent until proven guilty. Doucet, on the other hand was naked and out in public which is an obvious crime. Keep it in perspective people.

c-gas, that's always the excuse people like you and cops come up with when the victim being high in PCP. It never fails. Come on, a naked guy, and two coward cops shot him and killed him and you don't see anything wrong with it. It's obvious these two cops don't have the adequate training to bring a naked down without having to kill him.

It's amusing how people believe everything they read in the paper. Obviously the LAPD screwed up. Their tactics took extreme measure b/c they obviously paniced. Reggie was half naked, was yelling b/c he was tryin to get in into his apartment (he had no key, locked out) so he can pay his cab fair. How ironic the police state that he was going for their gun hours after their first intial report. Was he behaving erratically, yes. Did he resist, yes. Was he armed, no. Was he justified in fighting with police, no. Did he go for their gun, hell no! What irony. All Reggie wanted to do was get into his apartment, pay his debt, and go home. Not to mention, they shot him on his door step, twice. Two trained professional law enforcement officers can't handle a single drunk naked man. How embarrassing. And now their tryna cover their asses. Just wait til the investigation progresses and the public gets a hold of the surveillance tape outside the apartment complex.

"The Lord will take care of unjustice. Forgiveness is to help live abundantly, to forgive as Jesus forgave us. Its the only way to get rid of this torturous memory. Forgiveness can be a grieving process. Bitterness is not from God. God wants us to forgive anyting, but He doesn't want us to tolerate everyting."

Naked guy shot by the cops. Sounds suspicious. Hard to hide a weapon on a naked body.

Reggie was a positive individual throughout his life. He touched so many people with his warm personality. To have his life taken so short is a tragedy in it's own. In no way shape or form Reggie would have been on PCP or any other drug that might have given him "super human strength." He never drank or used drugs in high school or in college. He is educated and very well liked in many states. His father is a lawyer and his mother is a nurse. Gametime was raised right and his achievements in academics and sports prove it. LAPD, justice will be served..

My condolences goes out to the Doucet family. I can't believe this has happen to you and that there are people that call themselves humans who's actually trying to justify why this was done to you. I don't think that anyone should be placing judgement without knowing the event that took place prior to your death. If you don't know Reginald doucet Jr. personally then please don't place a judgement because you obviously do not know that Reggie did not do any recreational drugs and that he was very much into his health... I miss and love you dearly Reginald Doucet Jr.

to all that keep stating that Mr. Doucet was under the influence of drugs thus giving him super human powers are wrong! Mr. Doucet was a healthy individual who played sports and most recently was a bodybuilder and fitness model. Being a bodybuilder myself I can tell you that dicipline is very important and not putting junk in your body is very important. Having also lived in Culver City I can also tell you that the Culver City cops are quick to racially profile you if you are a strong fit Latino or African American, why? Because they feel "threaten". I have personally experience this. Being harrassed by the Culver City PD for no reason. It is also possible that Mr. Doucet may have had an existing mental condition. In males, some mental condition start to exhibit in the early 20's. Again, I think the cops here over reacted when they saw a NAKED muscular fit young black man and shot him!

Stop flattering yourself, Culver City Resident. I realize in your own mind you may think people are "threatened" or impressed by seeing a strong Latino or African American, but you're clearly fixated on race, and I can assure you, no one's really impressed by the COLOR of someone's skin and their fitness level. What I see is someone who was obviously fit and strong and behaving extremely erratically. If this was a white bodybuilder he would've been deemed the same threat. I've seen the article on LA Weekly....this guy was arrogant and had a chip on his shoulder, always videotaping himself, talking big, acting like the cock-of-the-walk. I have absolutely no problem believing that he was attempting to be Billy Bad-a** with the cops, and unfortunately, his misplaced machismo cost him his life.

A naked man can still strangle someone, wrestle his or her gun away from him and shoot him, knock him down onto the ground and stomp him or her, hit him or her so hard that they suffer brain damage, or inflict serious injury or death in innumberable ways. The guy was in the wrong, and it's too bad that he got shot, but this wasn't a case like the old homeless lady who was shot by the LAPD a few years back; this guy was fighting the cops, and any of you who think they should have acted differently are welcome to apply w. your local police force as a reserve officer. Then, when you're confronted with an aggressive, naked man, you can sing "Kumbaya" to him and see how well it works.

To "chris", you seemed to have an inferiority complex. Furthermore, you don't know what the hell you are talking about. Unless you have experienced unnecessary harassment from the Culver City PD then you come talk to me. This is ABSOLUTELY about race! If this guy was a white guy the Culver City PD would have not killed him. AND regarldess if Mr. Doucet was an arrongant SOB, he did not deserve to be shot like that.

James, very well put.

Culver City Resident,

This was not Culver City PD that did this. That area is patrolled by Los Angeles Police Pacific Division. Read the 2nd paragraph, ("yelling and behaving erratically," according to a Los Angeles Police Department statement.) My father is a retired LAPD officer who worked out of Pacific division until last year, and knew of (although not personally) the officers involved.

Playa Vista is within the borders of Los Angeles NOT Culver City; actually it is considered north Westchester. LAPD Pacific Division responded to the call NOT Culver City PD. Just the facts, ma'am.

My sympathy to the Doucet family.

c gas
You are speculating on what the situation is. The police got this one wrong again. And yes they seem to do that a lot with black men. Had it been a white boy, their probably would have been a different take on trying to subdue the person. How do I know, it happens all the time. No speculation - just the facts.

Culver City- "Inferiority complex"? Haha, that's funny. Inferior of what, exactly? Not at all, rather you seem to think that you're something special and that people are afraid or impressed with the color of someone's skin. Whatever makes you feel better, man. You can speculate, play the victim boohoo race card all you want, bottom line is that this man brought this upon himself. He doesn't get naked, get stupid, fight the cops.....he's alive. Period.

his dad is not a lawyer. HE IS A RETIRED CORRECTIONAL OFFICER.

I agree, Chris.

Once again the LAPD went the seen of a naked man disturbing the peace. They probably approached Mr. Doucet more than likely told him to get on the ground. When he didn't, they probably tried to force him to the ground and the fight was on. The police are always trying to punk someone, instead of using common sense. They could have questioned him without going through all that. It was obvious he didn't have a weapon. They reasoned enough with him to put his underwear on (if they were ever off in the first place). I can't wait for the tox screen to come back for all of you that believe he was PCP. These 2 genius' probably tried to cuff him after he put his underwear on, instead of trying to help him get in his residence. He probably did resist and started beating up both cops. (COP is an acronym for Coward On Patrol) The rookie probably did fear for his life and instead of calling for back-up, he shot the poor guy. How does disturning the peace turn into a murder investigation? I would say that 90% of all police are excellent officers and do an outstanding job. It's that other 10% that makes all of you look bad.

I'm a white guy who lives in a fairly rough area, and I agree that he would not have been shot had he been white, which isn't to say that the police officer was a racist. It's just that racial fears often manifest in ways that are subtle and pernicious, and that we're sometimes not even aware of. That being said, police officers have a very difficult and often harrowing job. Tragic story.

Wow!!! I always side with the police but in this case i DONT! And NO im NOT black!! I follow, read & study a lot of cases & in this case the cops over reacted. The officer should be charged with murdered . They could have at least shot him on the leg with all that training they get. They could have called for back up when they were chasing him the first time if they had no Pepper spray, Taser, Bean bag, club, ETC.

t-rod, I have to congratulate you on one of the more inane and, frankly, Orweillian comments I've seen on the HR. And that's no small feat. You say, "Remember, this is America where we are all innocent until proven guilty. Doucet, on the other hand was naked and out in public which is an obvious crime. Keep it in perspective people." You don't quite understand how logically inconsistent that statement is? "This is America where we all innocent until proven guilty" but if a person is naked and acting in a strangely aggressive manner it's okay for a police officer to unilaterally shoot them without due process? Remember, t-rod, this is America, and while being outside naked may be an "obvious crime" - it is not a significant one and it is certainly not punishable by death. Let's keep it in perspective, t-rod.

Very true, Silvia, and that's why James, Chris, etc. are so misguided. There is absolutely no reason other than bad training, lack of equipment, racism, or pure cowardice (as much as it pains me to say it) for why a police officer would have to resort to a fatal shot to subdue a naked man instead of a taser, spray, or bean bag. James, are you that much of a trembling, quivering mess that you couldn't take down another man with the above mentioned weapons? Really? The "Kumbaya" bit is a canard- there is nothing "Kumbaya" about being hit with a taser or bean bag. Nice try though.

I suspect that if this guy had chosen not to get high and get his freak on, stark naked in the street he'd be alive right now. Now I also suspect that if he'd harmed someone in the course of his high spirited adventure, there would be a horde of folks one here decrying the lack of effort on the part of the police in protecting people.

So here's a novel idea you might want to try. If you don't feel the urge to be shot by a cop then don't get spaced off your skull, don't behave in a violent and disturbing manner and above all, don't attack a police officer and attempt to take possession of his firearm.

he was a friend of mine and a great man. there is no reason he should have been shot. what is the purpose of pepper spray,the club , rubber bullets???? the cop had only been a cop for a little over a year. they obviously don tknow how to train law cops. you cant say sorry for killing my friend. a father. a son . a brother.

Chris, answer the damn question? Have you ever being unjustly harassed by cops? YES or NO??? Simple question! Again, Latino and Black males get constantly harass, and if you question the officer as to why then you become "combative" and "unruly". According to you because he was arrogant, naked and fought back he deserved to die. Man you sure are the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Doucet may have suffered from some mental illness or could have unknowingly ingested something harmful or yep he could have been drunk as a skunk. I have even heard a theory (from a retired cop) that Doucet was trained in martial arts and thus his hands/feet could be considered lethal weapons - But was he being violent or just disturbing the peace? If not posing an immediate threat to himself or others then call for additional units BEFORE engaging in a battle and BEFORE deciding to shoot. I wonder if because the incident happened in blissful Playa Vista rather than Oakwood, the boys from Pacific didn't think this call was going to be a big deal and/or perhaps were surprised or even a little embarrassed they needed to call for help to subdue one naked man.
Nonetheless, it is a sad episode for all involved.

It's a shame the guy had to lose his life, but I have little empathy for him. Poor choices and poor decisions followed by physically violent resistance with police officers...sounds like the officers did what they had to do, including survival for themselves. By the way, any of you police bashers ever been in a REAL fight in your lives? No? Figures.

I'm also anxious to hear the autopsy results and hopefully there is video of the incident. Sounds like the supposed attempt to take the gun was added after the initial report. Also, the LAPD radio feed on Youtube says he was shot in the neck so that sounds fishy. An average citizen would be under arrest for excessive force unless he was a black belt in martial arts. At the very least, they'd be under arrest for manslaughter since he ran away twice and they pursued. It's VERY hard to believe that TWO officers were in mortal danger from one, unarmed man. And it's ridiculous to kill the man instead of calling for backup. Unfortunately, not everyone who wears a badge has the courage or intelligence to be entrusted with such authority and deadly force.

james and chris it seems to me you are two very scared little white men that cheer for the cops when they kill someone black because your to less of a man to face your own fears, you hide behind the cover of this blog to express your hatred for people of color, your problems are internal my friend

What can be expected from a cop who are only train for six months. How would any of the cop supporters feel if a doctor trained for six months was to do surgery on you?

Chris,
You are pathetic.Defending the system for such a merciless act,I highly doubt you would be sayn the same thing had it been a case against your family.
And keep talkn, cuz one of these days those words coming out of your mouth is gonna cost you your life. I just hope I will be around to post the same things to your family and friends,that "you brought it upon yourself& deserved to die"

They could of used a taser, rubber bullet, something. I know when people are under the influence, they tend to be a lot stronger than the normal person, but come on, something else could of been done. I once knew a guy that smoked angeldust, and while his friends were inside of a gas station, he took off all his clothes and crawled up on top of the car (kinda like smokey from Friday) Not once did the cops ever use deadly force. Once he climbed down from the car they used the taser, arrested him, and took him to the hospital to sober up. LAPD is just too quick to shot people sometimes.

@LA I agree 100% with your statement.

R.I.P. Reggie, You are missed babe!!!

Justice will come to you & your fam. A month later and we're still grieving heavily. I tried to stop reading at the 1st ignorant comments... about Reggie 'getting what was coming to him..' these silly people will get their Karma that is to come. Bothers me that everyone wants to automatically believe the officers assessment of the situation.. like cops never lie?!?! hellooo.. wake up people.. one just lied about getting shot.. how bout the 8 that were indicted for covering up the katrina murders of innocent men.. what about the one in hollywood who just got found guilty for lying about the 'suspect' he murdered having a weapon.. and now AFTER the initial report and once reggie was pronounced dead, only did they say he was reaching for his weapon.. 2 shots in neck to subdue a 'drunk' suspect?? 2 trained officers?? after 10 minutes they knew he wasnt a violent threat.. naked and all.. they shouldve called for back up or got their tazers/bean bag guns ready for him.. if they were that scared of him & they may be 'fighting for their lives..'.. Im SO sick of people.. all of us have had a drunk night, so i will not condemn him for going out & having fun.. for people to assume he was on PCP is another story.. even if he did drugs (which he didnt), is that a valid reason for the police to shoot him? cuz 'PCP will make someone strong' as some dummy said in the comments above.. its absolute BULL .. if this was your friend, brother, father in this situation you would be totally fine with reviewing what the media has put out and justifiably walking away from this situation as ur loved one is gone and its his fault?? Get out of here, i dont believe anyone would for one second.. I wish people would take the time to think before speak. analyze a situation as it were your own before u make inconsiderate statements...

This is not a race issue.. This is about the biggest gang of America with licenses to kill.. There are good cops out there, but there are also unethical evil ones.. and yess ive also along with countless friends been harassed by the police... If these were three citizens on the street, one naked and two with licensed guns to shoot, please believe the shooter would still be in jail facing 1st degree murder.. wake up people...

WE love you Regg! You were and still are a bright light in this shady world! We know the real you, as much as the media & these fools want to slander your name, you were a good person doing good things.. We'll show em hun.. <3

P.S. La Times can you please pick a recent picture of Reggie to display.. He's a model.. there's hundreds of pictures of him out there... Yet the media chose to use this 6+ years old image of him because he looks big & mean in it.. This is the only picture I've seen of him where he wasn't smiling... smh.. the media is something else..

Went to the comedy show Jokes 4 Justice and it was amazing. None of you who don't know reggie can't imagine how amazing he truly was. He has such a diverse group of friends from all backgrounds who are standing behind him 1000%. We will get justice for him and the truth willl prevail.

appearently this guy was on something. what i dont understand is yes he ran from the cops naked and all. but why couldnt they use a taser on him or rubber bullets instead.

I lived two buildings away before I escaped L.A. in 2008, and this type of incident is part of the reason why I got my family the hell out of L.A.
1. The violence finds you anywhere. The condo I rented was worth over $1 million.
2. Thanks to the LAPD gunning down residents right outside, the property value and quality of life in Playa Vista are both less now. Nice going.
3. Happy 20th Anniversary to police over-reacting (if you use Rodney King as the first bookend). It'll never change. Gates, Parks, Bratton, Beck, whatever.
4. LOL at the "Super Negro high on PCP" excuse, which was heard in the King trial and you guys are still trying and buying that one. L-O-L!
5. Last week here in Atlanta, I called the cops b/c of a stumbling drunk. I was concerned that he would get robbed or hurt himself. Cops drove him home. In L.A., I would be more afraid of him ending up dead by the cops, so I wouldn't have called.

I knew Reggie for a brief moment..I went to visit him while at Tennesse. Watchin that video was a lil disturbing because when I knew him he was fun and full of life and wanted to be in the NFL. I really think he might have been on some type of drug because in the video he was different from what I've seen. Cops should never pull their gun unless they were in immediate danger which really wasn't the case. He was naked what harm can he really do? Cops really need to find other ways to detain suspects instead immediately goin for their gun. I believe cops are so quick to pull their trigger instead of actually trying to resolve the issue in other sulotions. I am really sad that this had to end the way it did. My prayers are with Reggie's family. RIP Reggie you will truely be missed.

I've known Reggie for over 10 years. I.ve read a few opinions on here about Regg. and my initial feeling was anger. But realized your opinion holds no real merit in this situation. Being, you didn't get the oppurtunity to know Reggie. I was not there on that night so I can't say who was right or wrong all I can is I know his character. VIOLENT AND OUT OF CONTROL do not describe the man. I know because I've seen him avoid conflicts, first hand. He is a positive role model for my boys and I and, will continue to be. DRED REGG.

R.I.P. Reggie! I just want to say that it's pretty pathetic for people to come on here to express their racist mindframe. This is not the place for all of that negativity and those who are doing so should read something!

For those of you who continue to claim that my friend was on PCP or something like that is CRAZY!!!!

Reggie was strong yes, it worked out all the time so yes he had strength. But he was NOT ON DRUGS, maybe he smoked weed ( I am only guessing on the weed) but that's no super human drug like PCP. he would not come close to that!

You dont shoot an unarmed man. PLUS a police gun does not just come out because you pull on it. there is a special way to release it.

Reggie,

You're, unfortunately, in good company. Zac Champommier was an 18 year-old, saxophone playing honors student who was killed by a "multijurisdictional task force" because he pulled into a public parking lot and accidentally hit an undercover officer who ran into the path of his car.

Doug Zerby was too drunk to drive and instead waited for his friend to arrive home. He sat on his friend's steps and fiddled with a water nozzle. The police observed him for 10-15 minutes. He never even knew they were there when they executed him claiming that he raised the water nozzle in a threatening manner.

Erik Scott was killed by three policemen while he exited a Costco in Las Vegas that was being evacuated because someone had noticed that Erik had a gun. He was licensed to carry the gun as part of his business, delivering pacemakers to dangerous parts of the city. As he disarmed, stating aloud "I am disarming", removing his holster, the police opened fire and killed him in front of his girlfriend.

DJ Henry, Steven Washington, Oscar Grant, Christian Portillo, and so many others....

Even former LA Police Chief Daryl Gates' brother, himself a police captain, was brutalized by an Orange County Sheriff.

Law enforcement is simply out of control and will not hesitate to kill at the slightest, or, apparently NO provocation.

It's time to put this nonesense killing by peace officers to an end!

Mel...well put. Thank you for supporting your side of the argument so well.

This is a tragic situation, but this type of thing happen everyday across the states. Its a scary thing to be a black man in this day of age, and I have three. This cop was inexperienced he only had 17months on the job and out of his 17 2 months was in the academy. So he really only had a little over a year of street knowledge. In his 17 months he probable did not see that much action. Remember cop work is long hours of boredom and a split second of action. This rookie officer couldnt wait for the opportunity to use his service weapon regardless what they said Doucet did. It will never be fair justice in this world for an African American welcome to the new age slavery.