Time to write some letters

Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley

The report on Zac's killing is now in the hands of the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office. We are asking for help in seeking answers as to why Zac, who was doing nothing illegal, was killed on June 24, and yet seven months later we aren't any closer to knowing what happened and why. 

Please take a moment to write to District Attorney Cooley and ask him to conduct a full investigation into this matter. You can download a printable pdf file by clicking HERE.

If you'd like to compose your own letter, here's the address:

Steve Cooley, District Attorney
Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office
210 West Temple Street, Suite 18000
Los Angeles, CA 90012-3210

Thanks in advance for your continued support of Zac and his family and friends as they seek justice for this innocent young man, senselessly killed by those tasked to protect him.

Happy Birthday, Zac

Today would have been Zac's 19th birthday. 

The Way Things Stand:


In a few days it will be 7 months since Zac was killed.  Justice For Zac has learned that the Sheriff's Department report on Zac's case is now in the hands of the L.A. District Attorney's Office, which will review the report for any "penal code violations"; Zac's family and friends are waiting for the Deputy District Attorney who is handling Zac's case to decide if there are.

The Sheriff's Department, so quick to assign blame to Zac for his own killing, so quick to brand him as a "drug suspect," has now done a complete about-face and has met with Zac's mother, assuring her that Zac broke no laws; he did nothing wrong. And when we say Sheriff's Department, we are meaning Sheriff Lee Baca, Himself. That was his statement to Zac's mother: "Zac broke no laws; he did nothing wrong." 


But we already knew that. We knew it way before this Coroner's foresenic report (pictured below) was even finished. We knew it.

click to enlarge

The wheels are moving slowly in this case; anyone familiar with the way the justice system moves is aware of that, or is aware of it now. Many of us are learning this in the hardest of ways: the interminable waiting. But because there is waiting, don't be fooled into thinking there is no action beneath the calm, still waters. The wheels keep moving, even when we don't see them, they keep moving .... forward.


Happy Birthday, Zac.

UPDATE: This post at local blog, street-hassle, pretty much sums up our disappointment at the lack of any meaningful local print or television news coverage on Zac's case:

But what is most challenging to our sensibility is the failure of local journalism in this matter. The fact that the public instantly knows the name of the officer in shootings involving an LAPD badge, but does not know any of the principles in this County and Federal matter after nearly seven months, is the single greatest disgrace, the single greatest evidence of impotence, of the LA Weekly, Los Angeles Times, and Los Angeles Daily News of the past year, and perhaps of the past decade. These have all failed Zac personally; and they have failed his family, his loved ones catastrophically.

You can read the rest at street-hassle.

Birthday Vigil

January 21st would have been Zac's 19th birthday.


We will be marking the occasion with a vigil in Studio City on Friday, January 21st from 4:30 pm to 5:30 p.m. on the northeast corner of Ventura and Laurel Canyon Blvds. 


There will be a short candlelight vigil in the parking lot behind the Chipotle restaurant on Ventura Blvd. immediately following at 5:30 p.m.

Missing You at Christmas

Zac and Carol, Christmas 2005

Christmas with Zac 2009

Christmas with Zac and cousin Claire, 2005

Christmas with Zac and cousin Olivia, 2008

We miss you, Zac. 

Six Months

This Friday, Christmas Eve, will mark the six-month anniversary of Zac's senseless killing. It will also mark our first Christmas without Zac.

We will remember him and observe the anniversary of his death with a special holiday vigil on Christmas Eve, Friday, December 24th, at 5:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. on the southeast corner of Zelzah and Chatsworth in Granada Hills.

Please join us as we stop to take a moment to remember Zac Champommier and the wonderful person he grew up to be (thanks to Carol). Let's take the opportunity to be together, as his extended family, and once again pledge ourselves to seeking justice for Zac.

If you knew Zac, or if you're just now meeting Zac and learning about his story... all are welcome to join us.

Merry Christmas.

More truths

From text accompanying this video elsewhere:

Here is a great example of an activist attorney who does what is required to bring the issues into public view where they can be debated and opinions can be formed. In this broadcast, a former police officer discusses how it is against NYPD policy to shoot at a moving vehicle unless the driver presents some other threat (e.g., a gun, bomb, etc.). This must be national policy as it relates to the car-as-deadly-weapon scenario. It must be one of the goals we strive to achieve. The video also includes images of Doug Zerby who was killed last week by police who, as in Zac's case, failed to announce their presence. They, as in case, came to the worst conclusion possible. The police concluded that the water hose nozzle Doug held was a gun. They apparently gave no warning before they shot. Doug apparently didn't even know they were there.

So, we unfortunately have to welcome Doug's family and friends. We all knew the day would come, as it will surely come again.

I hope the writer who penned this is wrong; unfortunately, s/he'll most likely be proven right sooner rather than later.

Five Months

It's been more than five months since Zac's killing and the Sheriff's report on Zac's case is now in the hands of the District Attorney's office which is reviewing it for "penal code infractions."

What you should also know is that the Sheriff's Department recently made the following statements to Zac's mother:

• The shot that killed Zac was fired by a DEA agent.
• Law enforcement officers were indeed debriefing in the public parking lot after serving a warrant elsewhere.
• The deputies were NOT in uniform, NOT in any marked law enforcement vehicles and did NOT identify themselves to Zac; he probably never knew they were officers.
• Zac broke no laws; he did nothing wrong.

 I think the last one is kind of big: the Sheriff's Department has confirmed ZAC BROKE NO LAWS. HE DID NOTHING WRONG.  ALSO - NO CHARGES WERE FILED AGAINST THE MAN DEPUTIES HAD DETAINED MOMENTS BEFORE ZAC WAS KILLED.

I think that's as close to a public retraction we're going to get from Baca regarding his statement that Zac bore some measure of fault in his own killing by "striking an officer." 

"He did nothing wrong." - straight from the horse's mouth. 

Christmas Eve will note the six month anniversary of Zac's death.  

 

Granada Hills Highlanders Tribute to Zac

During the annual Granada Hills High School Marching Band Competition this weekend, the Highlander Marching Band (present and former band members) took to the field and paid a musical tribute to Zac.

In case you didn't know, Zac was a saxophone player with the Highlander Marching Band; he was also section leader and served as vice-president of the Band Council.

Another family searching for Truth

A slideshow of Zac's Altar

Zac's Altar

Zac's Altar

It was a very special day; created by many special friends. We spent the day with magic all around us and met and spoke with hundreds of people all day. We shared stories about Zac and so many people learned for themselves what a great kid he was. Many of them left Zac's altar weeping. Even now, he still moves us and inspires us and we'll still keep fighting for justice for you, Zac. 

More pictures coming soon.

Our Friend Zac

The Justice for Zac site has been getting a lot of traffic from back East, and we are saddened that we are.  Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Danroy Henry.

For those of you who are friends of Danroy's , this is our friend Zac Champommier. Zac was killed June 24, by plainclothes law enforcement officers as he was exiting a parking lot behind an upscale shopping/eating destination on Ventura Blvd. in Studio City, California.

He was only 18 years old, just graduated with honors from Granada Hills Charter High School, was a leader in the Granada High School Highlander Marching Band. He was raised by his mother, an elementary school teacher in the San Fernando Valley. Zac was her only child.

We're still waiting for answers.

Here's the video which was played at Zac's memorial service.

Zac's Altar

Work has been started on Zac's altar for the Dia de los Muertos event at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. We hope you are able to visit his altar and learn more about Zac and what a great person he was.

Dia de los Muertos Celebration - October 30th 2:00 p.m. to Midnight

Hollywood Forever Cemetery
6000 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90038




Here's a link for information on admission, parking and events scheduled for the day! 

Thank You

Assemblyman Mike Feuer (Dist. 42) and Assemblyman Mike Gatto (Dist. 43)

It isn't always easy being the first one to stand up for a cause, especially one so clouded by layers of external complexity, but we are grateful to someone who has shown tremendous fearlessness, leadership and the ability to get things done for taking the time to read and learn more about Zac and his life, as well as about his death and the circumstances surrounding it:

Thank you to Assemblyman Mike Gatto of District 43 for being the first elected official to join the In Memory of Zac Champommier Facebook page. 


We here at the blog are very happy and thankful that he did. Here's a link to Assemblyman Gatto's Facebook  page. Please stop by his page and thank him personally.  Tell him what a great kid Zac was and that we need more help from people like him to make sure that this can never happen to another person, another family, another community, ever again.

Who's next, L.A.? Team Zac would love all of our elected officials to read more about Zac's story and join our Facebook group.