New information is being revealed about the man gunned down by the LAPD. Until now the victim had been unidentified as he was known on streets of Skid Row, Africa. Law enforcement officials have now revealed much more detail about Africa and his criminal background.
When police took fingerprints from his body, he was linked to the name of Charley Saturmin Robinet. It turns out that Africa stole the identity of a French citizen and was able to enter the United State in the late 1990s. In 2000, he was arrested after committing a violent bank robbery in Thousand Oaks, California. While in prison he was evaluated as being mentally ill but refused services. In 2005 he was going to be forcibly institutionalized but later agreed to treatment. He was released from prison in May 2014 and was ordered to a halfway house while he awaited immigration proceedings. At some point, Africa found himself living in a tent on Skid Row.
Police maintain that they were responding to a 911 call regarding a nearby robbery when they encountered Africa. During the encounter a struggle ensued and police claim that the man reached for a rookie officer’s gun. Police responded by shooting him several times despite witnesses who claim the man did not have a gun or reach for a weapon. Africa’s real identity is an international mystery.
