Rodney King, whose beating by Los Angeles police in 1991 was caught on camera and sparked riots after the acquittal of the four officers involved, was found dead in his swimming pool Sunday, authorities and his fiancee said. He was 47.
Police in Rialto, California, received a 911 call from King's fiancee, Cynthia Kelly, about 5:25 a.m., said Capt. Randy DeAnda. Responding officers found King at the bottom of the pool, removed him and attempted to revive him. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital, DeAnda said.
There were no preliminary signs of foul play, he said, and no obvious injuries on King's body. Police are conducting a drowning investigation, DeAnda said, and King's body would be autopsied.
"His fiancee heard him in the rear yard," he said, and found King in the pool when she went outside.
And I remember exactly where I was when the verdict came down and the LA riots began. I was a high school senior in Durham, NC at the time. The verdict sparked much soul-searching among my classmates and the faculty, and eventually an all-school assembly where we openly talked about race and differences between us...and the similarities.
Rodney King had a life of conflict and pain, ups and downs. Maybe now he'll finally find the peace that long eluded him.
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