Police Chief Sanchez Meets with Community Leaders

[Updated March 27, 2012 | 4:14 p.m.]  Pasadena Chief of Police Phillip L. Sanchez met Tuesday afternoon for over one hour at police headquarters with a small group of Pasadena clergy, civil rights leaders and a journalist in a private meeting to discuss the fatal shooting Saturday night of Kendrec Lavelle McDade, 19, of Azusa by Pasadena police officers responding to an armed robbery radio call.

Sanchez told the group that he has asked the Office of Independent Review Group (OIR) to conduct its own investigation into Saturday’s fatal shooting. OIR is under the direction of Michael Gennaco, who has been investigating police incidents for the past ten years.

The Chief did not release any new information about the shooting not already made public, one attendee of the private meeting told Pasadena Now.

The source said that in his opinion the Chief’s remarks were “received very well” and that Sanchez was “candid and straightforward” in describing the proper steps which he believes must be taken for a through investigation.

The group meeting with Chief Sanchez was reportedly comprised of NAACP Pasadena Branch President Joe Brown, Pasadena Journal publisher Joe Hopkins and local clergy, including Dr. Nicholas Benson, Rev. Jean Burch. Also at the meeting was Deputy Chief of Police Darryl Qualls and Lt. Phlunté Riddle.

Spokespersons of various Pasadena churches and civil rights organizations have been calling for more transparency since the shooting became known.

On Sunday, NAACP Pasadena Branch President Joe Brown said he met with Pasadena Chief of Police Phillip L. Sanchez that morning about 8:30 a.m. for a briefing about the incident.

“He’s being a little too selective about what he wants to say,” Brown said. “That’s just not good for this community.”

Since then, little new information has been released about the incident as police and other agencies conduct investigations.

What is now known is that the officers were responding to a call of an armed robbery that had occurred shortly after 11 p.m. near the intersection of Summit Avenue and Orange Grove Blvd.

The victim followed two suspects while calling the police on his cell phone. The suspects ran in different directions trying to evade the victim.

Police say two officers immediately arrived and saw one suspect running near Fair Oaks Avenue and Orange Grove Blvd.

The officers pursued the suspect north on Sunset Avenue from Orange Grove Blvd and as they neared him, police say the officers “observed his hands at his waistband. Fearing for their lives they fired multiple shots striking the suspect.”

Riddle said Tuesday that as of now, no weapon had been located at the scene of the Sunset Ave. shooting or as the result of through checks along the route taken by the fleeing suspects during the incident.

The suspect was transported to local area hospital where he died.

Detectives notified the family at the hospital and the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Investigator responded and took possession of the body.

Anyone having information regarding the robbery or shooting is asked to contact the Pasadena Police Department at (626) 744-4241