Francisco Mondragon-Saucedo, 24

Feb. 11, 2007, 3:30 a.m.

Francisco Mondragon-Saucedo, 24, a Latino man, was shot multiple times by police officers inside the Fair Oaks Manor at 5035 Echo St. in Highland Park, and died at 3:30 a.m. Feb. 11.

Police said the officers were called to a group home for people with mental disabilities; there, the young man attacked one officer with a sharp object, ripping the officer's sleeve. One of the officers then shot him, they said.

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Two reader comments

'Highland Park Resident' asks why an officer-involved homicide is included in this report, a question we have gotten frequently over the last three years. Murder, a legal term that is often used more casually, is the "the unlawful killing of another human being without justification or excuse."

Homicide as defined by the Los Angeles County coroner -- as well as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for its national mortality reports -- is any death of a human being by the hand of another.

The Homicide Report uses this definition, which wraps in both criminal homicides and justifiable homicides by police, as well as justifiable homicides by civilians acting in self- defense.

The coroner's investigation, which is separate from a police investigation, is what determines how the case is categorized. "If the D.A. chooses to file charges, or not file charges, it's of no concern to the coroner," said coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey.

Read more on this issue in our FAQ section which can be found along the right rail.

— Megan Garvey/Los Angeles Times Jan. 28, 2010 at 8:52 a.m.