John L. Daniels Jr., a 36-year-old tow truck driver from Los Angeles, was shot and killed on July 1, 1992, at a service station at Florence Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard. LAPD Officer Douglas Iversen and his partner had stopped Daniels because his tow truck’s registration had expired. When Daniels attempted to drive away after being asked for his driver’s license, Iversen fired one shot that hit Daniels in the upper arm and penetrated his chest. Daniels was taken to Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital and pronounced dead.

Officer Iversen was charged with second-degree murder, the first time in a decade that an LAPD officer faced murder charges for an on-duty shooting. Prosecutors argued Daniels was unarmed and did not pose an immediate lethal threat; the defense said Iversen reasonably feared the attempt to flee could endanger pedestrians. Iversen was not convicted. An internal LAPD Board of Rights hearing also addressed whether Iversen drew and fired his weapon in violation of department policy.

Does anyone have additional firsthand information about the stop that day or about Daniels’ activities before he was pulled over?