John Winkler, a 30-year-old freelance production assistant for Comedy Central’s Tosh.0, was shot and killed by a Los Angeles sheriff deputy on Monday night after being mistaken for a stabbing suspect. Winkler was walking in West Hollywood when deputies responded to a “assault with a deadly weapon, man with a knife” call at a nearby apartment complex.
“As deputies continued attempts to contact the people in the apartment, the apartment door suddenly opened and a male victim came rushing out. He was covered in blood and bleeding profusely from the neck,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a press release. Winkler followed, “lunging at the back” of the first victim, which led deputies to mistake him for the attacker.
“Believing Winkler was the assailant and the assault was ongoing and he would attack the entry team; three deputies fired their duty weapons at him. Victim Winkler was struck by the gunfire and fell to the floor, and the male victim also collapsed; struck once by the gunfire.” (Via)
Winkler was shot once and died later that night at a nearby hospital. Meanwhile, the actual suspect has been charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, and one count of torture. No charges have been filed against the deputies involved in Winkler’s death.
