The Yang family questions the LAPD's tactics that led up to the killing of Yong Yang while he was in a mental health crisis.LAist is facing a budget shortfall, but our mission to provide fact-based journalism is stronger than ever. We cannot do this important work without your member support today. Whether you give for the first time or increase your monthly donation, it all goes a long way in setting us up for a sustainable future.
The Department of Mental Health said it could not comment on the specifics of the May 2 incident because it is still under investigation. But county authorities did provide an emailed statement in which they explained that crisis teams are trained to de-escalate situations without police, but sometimes they need assistance.
Myung Sook Yang regrets calling the Department of Mental Health and believes her son was treated like a suspect rather than a patient who needed care."There are so many mentally ill people who need help," she said."So now, where they can get help?"A baby photo of twin brothers Yin and Yong Yang shortly after they arrived to the United States from South Korea.
The supervisor talks to Yang through the front door. A voice responds: ”I’ve already been killed multiple times.”Later, an officer uses a key to unlock the door. The officer pushes it open, but someone appears to be pushing the door from the other side.“You’re gonna get shot!” one of the officers yells, according to the video. Officers tell Yang to drop the knife.Within 10 seconds of opening the door, an officer opens fire, hitting Yang.
Wenninger commended the officers for requesting backup soon after they arrived at the scene, but he said dispatchers and officers could have asked better questions about Yang’s mental health background and what might have worked to calm him down. “I 100% believe it could have been avoided,” he told LAist. But also said he believed lethal force was justified in this case because Yang was armed with a knife. He said the allegation that the clinician was attacked also changed the scenario.
He attended the Musician's Institute – College of Contemporary Music in Hollywood, where he studied music production, his brother said.