A demonstrator protests in front of the Los Angeles Police Department building. A crowd of hundreds marched through downtown Los Angeles on August 17 to protest against police shootings in Los Angeles and Missouri. Photo: Yu Yan

Hundreds of people protested on August 17 outside the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters to demand more information on the death of an unarmed black man in California as chaos continued in Missouri over the police killing of a black teenager last week.

Ezell Ford, 25, was killed by police in Los Angeles on August 11, two days after 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot dead by a police officer in the St Louis suburb where he lived, Reuters reported.

An LAPD statement, citing a preliminary investigation, said Ford tackled one of two gang officers who approached him and reached for the officer's gun, prompting both officers to open fire. A friend of Ford's family told the Los Angeles Times that she witnessed part of the incident and saw no struggle between the officers and Ford.

The New York Daily News said that the demonstrators called for a complete investigation into the death of Ezell Ford, who was killed during a confrontation with police on August 11. The newspaper also noted that Ford was diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. Relatives said he had been taking medication and was seeing a doctor.

Carrying signs and chanting "We are all Ezell," the crowd stopped at the LAPD headquarters, where several protesters spoke. Marchers then continued to Union Station and La Placita, through Little Tokyo into Chinatown, then back to City Hall, KPCC spotted.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti  promised a "full investigation" into the death. "My thoughts are with the Ford family who are grieving. I will ensure that there is a full investigation of this incident … I ask that all Angelinos to respect each other during this time through the practice of peace," Garcetti stated, as CBSLA.com reported.

The LA Times said that LAPD officials have vowed a thorough and transparent investigation into Ford's death. But some have questioned the department's decision not to provide details to the public, including the names of the officers who shot Ford.

In Ferguson, Missouri, mostly peaceful protests deteriorated into chaos August 17 as riot police fired smoke and tear gas canisters into the crowd, which included children, Reuters reported.

As lawyers for the family of Michael Brown, announced plans Aug 19 for his funeral, US lawmakers called for calm and a change in police tactics that have so far failed to soothe angry demonstrators, Reuters reported. There were at least 57 arrests, most on a charge of failure to disperse, according to the St. Louis County Justice Services Center.

Obama, the nation's first African-American president, said, as AFP reported, there was no excuse for local police to use "excessive force," and that Attorney General Eric Holder was arriving in Ferguson on August 20 to oversee a federal civil rights investigation into the case.