Takar Smith Case: At funeral, family demands justice for man killed by LAPD officers

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Family and friends honored Takar Smith on Saturday, more than a month after he was shot dead by Los Angeles police.

Shameka Smith had contacted police earlier in the day on January 2, asking for help with her estranged husband. She said he was mentally ill and she had a restraining order on him.

Officials were involved in a confrontation with Takar in the home’s kitchen. They tried to taser him down, but at one point he grabbed a knife and was then shot dead by officers.

After Smith’s funeral in East Los Angeles, his wife and others spoke out at a news conference and said they wanted justice.

The LAPD is likely facing a lawsuit over the fatal shooting of a man with a knife who is in a mental health crisis

Shameka Smith says she contacted the police that day hoping they could help him.

“I want the officers in jail, OK?” said Shameka Smith. “You have to go to jail because you shouldn’t kill my husband. You should get my husband out and put him in the mental hospital. They were supposed to do just that, and they failed me.”

The Smith family has previously said they want the city to pay for Takar’s funeral expenses and plans to file a lawsuit.

“We are here to seek justice for my brother,” Takar’s brother Raishard Smith said at Saturday’s funeral. “There was no reason for the police to come out and shoot him like that. First of all, we need a new policy. We demand a new policy.”

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office says it is awaiting the results of the police investigation.

The Takar Smith case is one of three fatal shootings involving officers involved with the LAPD since early 2023.

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