The family of 28-year-old Frederick Holder is seeking justice after a routine traffic stop led to him being shot by Los Angeles sheriff deputies so many times that he was unrecognizable.
33 shots were fired in total, 17 struck Holder the morning of June 23, 2021.
According to reports, officers claim that they thought Holder, a Black man, was armed at the time of the shooting. However, no weapons were found in the vehicle and none of the officers had their body cameras turned on at the time of the incident.
The deputies involved include Christopher Conger, Javier Fierros, and Jackie Rojas — all of which are still active members of the LA County Sheriff’s Department.
Despite the fact that the district attorney’s office has decided not to file charges against the officers in this case, Holder’s family claims the officers violated several department policies and want them held accountable.
Could the officers have been within their rights? Or will more information prove that this incident was more than an unfortunate casualty? The Shade Room investigates…
Holder worked in the Los Angeles area as a handyman, and reportedly supported his family including a newborn baby.
But all of that changed on that morning in June of last year, after police noticed a tailgate at the bottom of a box truck Holder was driving was open.
Authorities also noted that he was allegedly driving erratically, but his family maintains none of those minor infractions should call for gunfire.
The first dispatch that came in about Holder was actually from a LAPD helicopter operator, who asked the L.A. county sheriff’s office to assist for what they described as hazardous driving.
To make matters more suspicious, none of the officers involved had their body cameras on, as is required by department policy.
Deputies made the initial stop and surrounded the truck, but Holder refused to get out and drove away.
A short chase ensued, however police eventually managed to corner his truck. Dashcam footage shows as one officer approaches the vehicle with a rifle drawn.
His sister, Hali Holder, said it did not take long for deputies to start firing their weapons.
“I just imagine my brother alone, dying, and no one trying to save him,” his sister told TSR Investigates’ Justin Carter.
Hali went on to say that her brother’s police report stated he had pointed something in their direction, which turned out to be a novelty lighter that resembled a small pistol.
The lighter appears to be the main reason they fired the shots in the first place.
“His face was blown off, mouth, teeth, tongue,” his sister said of the aftermath of the deadly shooting.
Holder’s family permitted The Shade Room to publish his autopsy photos, which were heavily blurred due to the horrific state his body was in following the shooting.
The photos show chunks of Holder’s face and body missing.
His sister also said she wants to know if he had called out for her or their mother for help, how scared he was, “all alone, bleeding out basically.”
“All because officers didn’t follow protocol,” she added.
The Holder family and supporters have since held numerous rallies on behalf of justice for Frederick, urging the district attorney to follow through with charges on the officers involved in his shooting death.
But the family says they have received pushback from former Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who refused to meet with them and even called them “fools” during a community forum event in Feb. 2022, where Holder’s sister called Villanueva’s deputies out.
“The overwhelming majority of police-involved shootings are legal and justified,” Villanueva said in response.
Holder’s sister also called the deputies out for not turning on their body cams during the shooting, which The Shade Room has confirmed is required of all officers during traffic stops.
The Shade Room also learned that deputies are not technically allowed to shoot at stationary vehicles as in Holder’s case, unless an occupant is actively shooting at officers, which Holder did not do.
Hali Holder said her brother likely initially fled because “he was scared,” adding “in the video, you can’t really see what the officers are doing.”
The family met with the district attorneys office earlier this month, where they learned no charges would be filed in this case and that the shooting had been deemed justified.
They also said it took police over a week to inform Holder’s family of his death.
Community activists like Sylvester Ani Jr. are now assisting the family in an effort to see justice for Frederick Holder.
The family is now asking anyone and everyone for help in getting justice for him.
TSR Investigates explores cold cases and special interest news stories underrepresented in mainstream media.
