Anthony Dwain Lee

Anthony Lee
Born	July 17, 1961(1961-07-17) Redding, California
Died	October 28, 2000(2000-10-28) (aged 39) Los Angeles, California
Occupation	Actor

Anthony Dwain Lee (July 17, 1961 – October 28, 2000) was an African-American actor. His acting career spanned from the 1980s up to his death in 2000. His killing garnered significant national and international media attention. Lee was shot and killed by LAPD officer Terriel Hopper under mysterious circumstances during a Halloween party.

Death

Answering a so-called "routine" alleged noise complaint call led two LAPD officers to a Halloween party underway in affluent Benedict Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles. The two responding officers where greeted by security hired for the party.

The security guard went to bring the resident hosting the party to the officers waiting in the kitchen. One officer, three year LAPD Officer Terriell Hopper, left the kitchen and walked outside of the house into the back yard. While walking along an exterior walkway behind the house, Hopper looked inside a room and saw what he believed to be a narcotics transaction. Hooper shined his police flashlight through a glass door.

Three party-goers occupied the room, standing together talking. Lee, in the room with his back to the glass door, allegedly turned to face the shining light and directly pointed his replica gun at Hopper. The officer emptied his service pistol into the room within two seconds, firing through the glass door. Of the nine rounds fired, four struck Lee, two in the back, one in his heart and one in the back of his head, killing him instantly.

The resulting police investigation concluded that the shooting was a justified reaction by the officer, who believed the costume gun to be real. One proposed scenario maintains that Lee pointed the prop at the officer, whose first five rounds missed, giving Lee time to turn around and attempt to run, resulting in the gunshots sustained to the back of his body. Other police experts say turning would have been impossible in the 2 seconds it takes to pull off nine rounds and leaves it open to speculate the shots were fired directly into the back of Lee's body initially.

The police account of the shooting was upheld by a witness present at the scene, Eric Schuberg. Schuberg stated to police that he was with Lee in a rear bedroom when Lee pulled a gun (now known to be a replica) and pointed it at a window. Schubeg believed the gun to be real, and was threatened by it. Another witness, William Frey, confirmed the account, but stated that he did not see Lee raise the replica weapon all the way up to the window.

Hopper was cleared by the LAPD shooting review board, the civilian police commission, and the LA County District Attorney's Office. The LA Coroner's Office performed an autopsy on Lee, which found alcohol and cocaine in his system. The details of the alleged narcotics sale are unknown, but Lee was alleged to have extacsy pills in his hand after being shot.

Initially, the specifics of the killing were said to be unknown. A wrongful death suit was brought by Johnny Cochran against the LAPD for 100 million dollars on the behalf of Lee's sister and only living immediate relative. An out-of-court settlement awarded $225,000 to Lee's sole sibling, Tina Lee-Vogt. The settlement came as a stymied court case lost momentum when Johnnie Cochran's team could not locate security guards from the party to give testimony. Lee is survived by his former wife, Serena Scholl, who did not sue, though a case stood in her favor as well as Lee-Vogt's. Both Lee's parents, Frances Lee and Willard Lee, were deceased prior to Lee's killing.

The story was featured on CBS News, "48 Hours / Mystery" two years after the killing [1] and was widely discussed in both print and online media for years. [2]

Career

Lee performed as an actor at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival where he met his former wife, actress Serena Scholl, and myriad other theatrical appearances throughout Oregon, California, Washington and Milwaukee, Wisconsin before moving to Los Angeles in 1994. [3] Lee was also a playwright.

He appeared as a hospital patient in a 2000 episode of ER, "Rescue Me". The episode is dedicated to him.^[1]

Lee was deeply loved and respected by all who worked with him or knew him. There were four memorial services in his honor across the United States; one of them in Seattle, Washington. [4]

Personal life

Lee grew up in Sacramento, CA, where he sold drugs as a member of the Crips street gang. He turned to acting after being stabbed in the back during a fight.

Lee practiced Nichiren Buddhism with SGi (Soka Gakkai International), along with his wife, from 1986 until his death. [5] A memorial service in his honor was held at SGi, Los Angeles Friendship Center, a Nichiren Buddhist community center in west Los Angeles, counted among the four memorials held in Seattle, Washington; Sacramento, California and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

While married, Lee was brother-in-law to R. Orlando Duenas, feature picture editor whose credits include What Lies Beneath, Cast Away and Polar Express. [6]

References

External links

• Anthony Lee at the Internet Movie Database
• Investigation story
• [7]