LOS ANGELES — A man who was fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy last month wasn’t involved with a carjacker who had fired at pursuers, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday, an acknowledgement that came just ahead of a news conference where the man’s family said police had killed an innocent man.

The department said in a statement that deputies encountered 27-year-old Donnell Thompson, who was black, shortly after a carjacker crashed the stolen vehicle, fled into a Compton neighborhood, and was arrested on July 28.

After a resident called 911, deputies spotted Thompson lying in a yard with one hand concealed from view and were concerned that he may be connected to the carjacking suspect, the statement said.

The deputy fired from the turret of an armored vehicle being used to provide security for deputies behind it, sheriff’s Captain Steve Katz said.

Katz said Thompson ran toward the armored vehicle after initially ignoring commands to get up and after being struck by so-called less-than-lethal rubber bullets fired by a special weapons team.

Associated Press