Why rodney king died

When a jury acquitted all the officers on April 29, , the city erupted in widespread violence. Hundreds of businesses were looted and destroyed over several days. Entire blocks of homes and stores went up in flames. More than 60 people died by shootings or other violence, mostly in South Los Angeles. The uprising seemed to catch the rest of the nation by surprise, but longtime residents said tensions were building in South LA for years and the King verdict was just the tipping point.

King drowned in his backyard swimming pool on June 17, , at age It was unclear if it ever sold. Holliday told the New York Times last year that he was still working as a plumber and never profited from the video. Then a construction worker, he had been stopped for speeding on a dark street on 3 March The four LA police officers who pulled him over hit him dozens of times with their batons, kicked him and shot him with stun guns. The whole chain of events had a profound impact on the way race was dealt with in the US.

But he also struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, had several brushes with the law over the years, and he ended up losing all his money. LA riots: How changed the police. LA riot: Rodney King funeral held. Holliday called the police to find out what had happened. When they declined to share information with him, he rang the KTLA news station. King - who was on parole for robbery - had led police on a high-speed chase through Los Angeles. Later, he was charged with driving under the influence, according to NPR.

When police stopped him, King was ordered out of the car. Los Angeles Police Department officers kicked him repeatedly and beat him with batons. The video also showed that several policemen stood by watching and commenting on the beating.