Family of double amputee shot dead by cops on streets of LA after brandishing 12 inch butcher’s knife files claim for damages against cops claiming ‘he was not a threat’

• The civil damages claim is likely the first step towards a wrongful death lawsuit
• Anthony Lowe’s mother, Dorothy Lowe, said she wanted justice for her son
• In a press conference she said her son was clearly ‘murdered’ by LA police 

The family of a double amputee shot dead by cops on the streets of Los Angeles has filed a civil damages claim against the city over the killing.

Anthony Lowe Jr., 36, was gunned down by police on January 26 after he stabbed somebody in a park, and then leapt out of his wheelchair and began fleeing from cops on the stumps of his amputated legs while wielding a butcher’s knife.

Cops tasered Lowe, and shot him ten times as he fled. His mother, Dorothy Lowe, said she and her family want ‘the truth’ about why cops felt it necessary to gun down a severely disabled man.

Police have said the officers opened fire because they feared Lowe was going to throw his knife at them. The leadup to the shooting was captured on cellphone footage.

Filing the claim is the required first step for the family to file a lawsuit for wrongful death and over civil rights violations. 

Dorothy Lowe, the mother of Anthony Lowe, who was shot dead by police on January 26

Lowe, 36, lost his legs recently, according to his family. They say he was murdered 

Ms. Lowe said she was determined to seek justice for her son, who said was ‘murdered.’  

‘Nothing but the truth and justice for my son,’ she said during a press conference Monday. ‘My son was murdered.’

‘Anthony was a good person. He was always there for his family. He’s our protector.’

The victim’s two teenage children attended the press conference, as did the mother of his son, Ebonique Simon.

‘I want to achieve truth and justice, because if anybody else would have shot Anthony, with him being a disabled person, they would be in jail now for murder,’ she said.

Lowe’s sister, Yatoya Toy, explained her brother’s legs had been amputated after an altercation with Texas police last year.

The killing is under investigation by the LA County Sheriff’s Department. 

The two officers who partook in the incident have not been identified, but have been placed on paid leave.

Dorothy Lowe said she wanted the truth about why her son was killed, and justice for him

Lowe’s ex-wife, Myissha Simpson-Lowe, 39, told DailyMail.com seeing the video taken just before his death ‘broke me.’  

The two were married until July 2021 when she filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences.

But the mom-of-two said the pair had remained friends after their split and she now wants justice for Lowe – who she said was struggling to come to terms with the recent amputation of his legs when he was killed last Thursday. 

‘Seeing the video broke me. I’m sorry… He was helpless. He was not a threat. He couldn’t do anything. He was trying to get away,’ she said in an exclusive interview. 

Lowe, who used a wheelchair to get around after recently losing both of his legs, was killed in a hail of 10 bullets after trying to flee from cops last Thursday. He is shown lying on the sidewalk after being shot multiple times. He was pronounced dead at the scene

Myissha Simpson-Lowe, 39, was married to Anthony Lowe, 36 – who was gunned down by police in Huntington Park, California – until July 2021 

She added: ‘I just want justice, please. The whole matter of fact is this is a man who is the size of a child, basically. What threat was that? What threat was that?

‘For them to do anything, it could have been done in a non-lethal way. What happened to rubber bullets? What happened to the beanbags they used to shoot?

‘Bullets? That wasn’t necessary. I would like to see those cops prosecuted.’

Lowe was unemployed and living in South Central Los Angeles with his mother at the time of his death. 

The LA County Sheriff’s Department said Huntington Park Police were called to reports of a stabbing on the 2400 block of Slauson Avenue at 3:40pm.

When cops arrived, they found a man suffering from stab wounds to the chest – the unnamed victim remains hospitalized.

They discovered Lowe a few blocks away, sitting in his wheelchair, but say he produced a 12-inch butcher’s knife and allegedly attempted to throw it at them when they tried to arrest him.

Police were called to the scene over reports of a stabbing on Slauson Ave and found Lowe a few blocks away allegedly wielding a butcher’s knife. They claim he then tried to throw the knife at them 

Lowe Jr. was carrying a large knife which the cops say he had just used to stab someone. After failing to subdue him with their Tasers, the officers said they feared he was going to throw the knife at them

He then turned and tried to hurry away from them, clutching a large butcher’s knife in one hand

Police said they then made several attempts to tase him but opened fire when he tried hurling the knife at them a second time. 

An investigation into his death has already been completed by the LA Medical Examiner, with the manner of Lowe’s death listed as homicide, while the place of death reads, simply, ‘sidewalk’.

Lowe did not have a criminal record in Los Angeles County but was known to police having been arrested on a 2007 warrant for robbery and petty theft on April 20 2021.

The charges were all dismissed after a preliminary hearing two weeks later on May 4.

Myissha, who met Lowe in 2005 via mutual friends, described the man she was instantly ‘in awe of’ as ‘the kindest spirit.’

The couple went on to marry in 2011 and welcomed their now 15-year-old daughter Ar’Rian in 2005 but separated in 2017.

She said: ‘He was the kindest spirit who would do anything for anyone that it was in his power to do.

‘He was loving [to Ar’Rian]. There whenever she needed to talk and whenever she needed her father.’

She added: ‘We were still friends. We still talked. If he needed me I was there and vice versa. It’s just there was nothing legal. He was still there though.’

But the mom-of-two also told how Lowe had been struggling in recent months, after losing his legs.

LA Medical Examiner, with the manner of Lowe’s death listed as homicide, while the place of death reads, simply, ‘sidewalk’

Myissha and Anthony Lowe married in 2011 and welcomed their now 15-year-old daughter Ar’Rian in 2005 but ultimately divorced in July 2021. The mom-of-two says the exes had remained friends even after their split 

Myissha said she does not know the circumstances of the incident that led to the amputations but confirmed it happened in late 2022 and that Lowe had been trying to come to terms with his life-changing injuries. 

She told DailyMail.com that he had not been having a ‘mental health crisis’ as previously reported, but had been working on ‘starting over’ as an amputee.

‘That’s not what they were saying – what they were saying is if you lose your legs, you’re going through something,’ she said. 

‘You have to try to get everything back to how you can function daily but without legs. That’s tough for anybody. That’s a huge challenge for anybody.

‘That’s just a challenge for anybody, having to basically start over.’

Myissha, who works as a dispatcher for school bus company First Student Group America, says her focus is now on supporting Ar’Rian as she mourns the loss of her father.

She said the teenager has seen the video of her father being gunned down and is ‘devastated’ by the loss of the man she spent much of her time with.

Myissha told DailyMail.com Lowe had not been having a ‘mental health crisis’ as previously reported, but was working on ‘starting over’ as an amputee

Family and friends of Anthony Lowe Jr hold a news conference to demand an investigation into his death outside of the Huntington Park Police Department on Monday

Myissha said: ‘It’s very hard. This is not something you would want your child to go through, not at such an early age.

‘Him being 36 and her being 15. That’s not something any child would want to go through. Not right now.

The brave mom added: ‘It is difficult. But I have got be strong for my daughter. Right now I’m her voice, ask how she’s feeling and let everyone know that.

‘She’s hurting too. Not just everybody else, she is too.’

Lt. Hugo Reynaga of the LA County Sheriff’s Office said the cops involved had been placed on leave ‘for a few days’ but that no official disciplinary action had been taken. 

The officers involved have not been identified. 

The incident comes three weeks after unarmed 29-year-old Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by a different group of police officers in Memphis, Tennessee.

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