Police chief blames shooting on realistic looking fake gun

The officer, who fired nine shots at Anthony Dwain Lee through a window of a West Los Angeles mansion after seeing him raise what looked like a gun, had "no time" to find out if the weapon was real or to shout a warning, the chief said at a news conference.

Officer Tarriel Hopper, 27, who has been with the department for three years, has been placed on paid leave while the LAPD and county district attorney's office investigate the death.

Parks on Monday displayed Lee's prop gun, which he said was made of solid gray rubber in the shape of an Israeli-made .357 Desert Eagle semiautomatic handgun.

Parks said such replicas _ often used as movie props _ have led to at least seven recent officer-involved shootings. He did not elaborate and left the news conference without answering questions.

"Whether it's a Halloween party, on the street or at a robbery ... we can't take for granted that (a gun) is a replica," Parks said. Parks expressed his department's "deep condolences" to Lee's family. "It's a tragic event," he said.

Lee's sister Tina Vogt, who works for the Sacramento Police Department, said she is baffled by the killing and questioned the LAPD's account of the shooting.

She planned to attend a candlelight vigil Monday night outside the West Los Angeles police division where Hopper is stationed. About 250 people, many carrying candles, gathered outside the station for about an hour and half Monday night. Several speakers urged the crowd not to be angry with police.

"There's a righteous anger here, but Anthony would not want to be used as a political tool," said Tom Kellogg, a friend of Lee's. Lee, 39, was shot early Saturday when he allegedly pointed the fake gun at Hopper and his partner who were investigating a neighbor's complaint about the noisy party.

Parks said the two uniformed officers identified themselves to some partygoers at the home and were directed to the rear of the house to find the host. Instead, they spotted Lee through a window.

The tenants of the mansion where the shooting occurred said they were shocked by the shooting but declined further comment.

Lee had appeared in small TV and film roles on shows such as "ER," "NYPD Blue" and the 1997 Jim Carrey movie "Liar Liar." Those who knew him said he carried the fake weapon as part of a devil costume and insisted he would never have pointed it at anyone _ even as a joke.

"Anthony was a well-seasoned actor who carried prop guns for some of his roles," said Ramon McLane, Lee's neighbor and friend for 13 years. "He knew never to point a gun at someone, regardless of whether it was real or not."

(AP)