Was He Murdered? LAPD Officer Killed In Training Was Probing Gang Rape By Cop Colleagues
Oct. 5 2022, Published 4:30 p.m. ET
An accident or something more sinister? The grieving family of a deceased Los Angeles Police Department officer alleged he was targeted for investigating four officers in connection with a gang rape, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Houston Tipping's tragic death at 32 was addressed by the LAPD in a statement shared back in May, which claimed the five-year veteran was seriously hurt while acting as a bike instructor in a scenario that involved grappling with another officer.
"During the scenario, Officer Tipping fell to the floor and suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury," it read.
"Officers immediately began CPR and summoned a LA Fire rescue who transported Officer Tipping to USCMC," the statement continued, noting they were unable to save his life "despite the extraordinary measures taken by the medical professionals there."
In a shocking turn of events, an attorney representing the Tipping family said this week that they don't believe this was an accident — although it was ruled as such.
RadarOnline.com can confirm that Shirley Huffman, the mother of Tipping, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city, which stated that her late son was "repeatedly struck in the head severely enough that he bled."
"We have uncovered evidence that Houston Tipping may have been harmed and later died as the result of retaliation against as a whistleblower," attorney Brad Gage has since claimed, describing what transpired as "murder."
The alleged sexual assault reportedly occurred sometime in July 2021.
Gage said Tipping was about to disclose information against four other officers he was looking into, according to KTLA, alleging that at least one of those officers was there during the fatal training scenario.
He also asked why there was no security footage recorded to reveal exactly what went wrong.
Gage said on Monday that Tipping suffered three broken ribs, a lacerated liver, head injuries, and a broken neck from the incident.
"Officer Tipping did not sustain any laceration to the head," Police Chief Michel Moore previously told the LAPD Board of Police Commissioners in June, claiming Tipping "was also not struck or beaten during this training session."
"He did grapple with another officer, and both fell to the ground, resulting in a catastrophic injury to his spinal cord," added Moore.
In another statement, Moore said the allegations are "without foundation."
"He's made other baseless allegations in this unfortunate tragedy," Moore declared.