GRAPHIC: Teacher dies after LAPD officer uses Taser during traffic stop

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WJLA) - The Los Angeles Police Department is facing tough questions about the death of a Washington, D.C. charter school teacher.

Body camera footage shows officers repeatedly used a stun gun to restrain 31-year-old Keenan Anderson.

“Keenan, he had an immediate impact on our school community. He had amazing relationships with our scholars. They consistently commented on how he made them feel known, loved and respected.” Mashea Ashton, the Digital Pioneers Academy CEO, said.

That is how Ashton believes Anderson should be remembered, saying she hired him about six months ago as a 10th-grade English teacher at Digital Pioneers Academy in Southeast Washington, D.C.

“He was a father, an educator, a professional. He was a human,” Ashton said.

The co-founder of Black Lives Matter shared on Instagram that Anderson was her cousin as Los Angeles police released body camera footage this week from the day he died while visiting family in California.

The Jan. 3 interaction with the Los Angeles Police Department began after Anderson was allegedly involved in a traffic collision.

The first officer on the scene called him a “possible DUI driver” and asked for backup, but things escalated quickly.

The video shows Anderson appearing to run from police. He was then ordered to the ground and a struggle ensued as additional officers arrived on the scene.

At one point, Anderson can be heard saying, “They’re trying to George Floyd me.”

GRAPHIC WARNING: Some may find the videos in this story disturbing.

He was taken to the hospital, but the Los Angeles Police Department said Anderson suffered a medical emergency and died about four hours later.

Ashton says she is grieving, but she is also angry.

“We’re angry because we have so many questions. How could this situation have been de-escalated? How could we avoid these circumstances going forward? No one deserves to be treated in the horrifying manner that Keenan was treated,” she said.

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