These are the photographs the Los Angeles Police Department claims prove that a homeless man they killed yesterday was trying to take an officer's gun away. A frame from an onlooker's video shows the man grabbing at an officer's waistband, police say, while a close-up of the weapon in question apparently shows damage caused by the scuffle. At least three officers opened fire on the man after he allegedly reached for the gun during the violent midday encounter on Skid Row. The man's name is thought to have been  Booth, but he is known locally as 'Africa' and 'Cameroon' in reference to his African heritage. Scroll down for video . Proof? Police say this frame shows the floored homeless man, circled center, reaching up for a police officer's gun during a fatal encounter yesterday in Lose Angeles . Shot dead: A homeless man, circled in red, was gunned down by the Los Angeles Police Department yesterday. Above is the moment directly after the fatal scuffle, after police had backed away . 'Damaged gun': The LAPD said this image shows the officer's pistol after the encounter. LA police chief Charlie Beck said damaged magazine and a partially-discharged bullet prove there was a struggle over it . Proof? The police department displayed a host of photographs which they think vindicates their officers at a new conference today . Los Angeles police chief Charlie Beck showed off the images at a news conference, recorded by local channel ABC7, 24 hours after the confrontation. He claimed the images showed that the magazine and slide of the officer's pistol were damaged - and that a bullet had been partially discharged from the chamber. Beck said: 'While on the ground and struggling with the officers the man forcibly grabbed on of the officers' holstered pistols, resulting in an officer involved shooting. 'Photos of the officer's pistol are on my right. As you can see, the slide is partially engaged and a round had been partially ejected and has fouled the firing chamber. 'This is indicative of a struggle over the weapon. As you can also see, the magazine is dislodged from its resting-place. This is also idnicative of force used on a weapon. Shocking footage of the incident showed the man flailing at officers before being pinned to the floor. They try to use a Taser on him - but it seemingly has no effect. Shouts of 'Drop the gun! Drop the gun!' can be heard seconds before officers open fire on the prone man. Today police released photographs of an officer's weapon after the confrontation, which they say proves the weapon was involved in a struggle. He also said two of the officers were injured and are now on crutches. Witnesses to the killing immediately said the police were too aggressive dealing with the man, whom they say had mental health issues. The LAPD said he was wanted in connection with a robbery. Justification? LA Police Chief Charlie Beck offered the explanation this afternoon . Killing: This is the moment police fired shots at the homeless man, who is obscured from view in the above frame by an officer. The LAPD have claimed he was trying to take an officer's gun . Doubt was also cast on whether the man actually tried to wrest a handgun from officers; a moment which the footage which has emerged so far does not clearly depict. Police chief Beck today called the killing an 'extreme tragedy' - and implored anybody with video evidence to submit it to police. He added that two of the officers were wearing body-mounted cameras. It came as more information emerged about the drifter, whom friends say came from Cameroon and lived in the U.S. for a decade before coming to LA six months ago.. Referring to him as 'Booth', 'Cameroon' or 'Africa' - references to his home country - fellow Skid Row vagrants say he lived in a tent on the streets and often read the Bible. Pressure for the LAPD to produce evidence to vindicate their officers had been mounting since a video of the killing emerged on social media. The shocking footage shows the man lashing out at police, who force him to the ground. Police first tried to use a Taser on the floored man, but officers say it had no effect. After the stun gun is fired, an officer shouts at him to 'drop the gun'. Seconds later, five gunshots are heard in quick succession. The footage does not show the scuffle clearly. Outraged crowds soon gathered at the scene, accusing the police of unjustly killing him. A police statement on the killing said that 'the suspect and officers struggled over one of the officer's handguns' before shots were fired. But crowds of people who were watching gave a different interpretation of the chaotic encounter. One was Dennis Horne who told NBC's Today program he has his own footage of the incident. When asked whether the man reached for a policeman's gun, he said: 'My footage don't say that, my eyes didn't see that.' Yolanda Young, another bystander, said: 'He didn't bother nobody, he didn't have no weapon, they just shot him.' Jerome Guillory, who also saw the attack, said: 'There was no reason to do that to him, the guy, he wasn't no threat to them.' Another witness, Lonnie Franklin, 53, did not comment on whether the man was trying to shoot back, but said the police's use of force was excessive. Fight: At the beginning of the encounter, the man is seen taking swings at several police officers on Skid Row . Confronted: He was being confronted over reports of a robbery before five shots were fired . He told the LA Times: 'That man never was a threat - the amount of officers present at the time could have subdued him.' Daily Mail Online spoke with a close friend of Africa on Monday, who said the man moved to LA sixth months ago, and had a combination of mental illness and drug addiction problems. Nick ‘KB’ Gee said the man’s real first name is Booth, but people called him ‘Africa’ because he was originally from Cameroon. ‘Booth was trying to get back home to Africa but he didn’t have no money, that’s why he was homeless,’ Gee said. ‘‘I talked to him a lot of days, he was a very respectful, honest man. He didn’t bother nobody, he would sit in his tent reading his Bible. ‘He told me about his family and he said he had to go back home to take care of some things.’ ‘He don’t have nobody out here so I would come down and help him out, get him food, some money, a cigarette,’ he said. Nick said police had responded not because of a robbery but because Booth was arguing with a neighbor who lived in a tent next to his. ‘A lot of guys who know him would have helped calm him down, the police know the man, they talk to him everyday, ask him to take his tent down,’ he said. Friend: Nick Gee spoke to Daily Mail Online about the man who was shot dead . Tributes: Flowers were left by the man's Skid Row tent Monday as people attacked the LAPD for the killing . ‘You’re dealing with a guy with a combination of mental illness and drug addiction, they used over excessive force. ‘They Tasered him and he was scared and tried to run in to the tent, they dragged him out and instead of five cops holding him down they shot him.’ One homeless man who identified by his nickname ‘Juju’ said he was friends with Africa, whom he said he last saw no more than 30 minutes before the shooting. He told the LA Times that he was also was also known as ‘Cameroon,’ for his home country. Juju said they had been chatting about politics the last time they spoke. ‘They did not have to kill my friend,’ Juju said. He said his fellow homeless friend’s problems with police were nothing new. There were arguments most days between Africa and LAPD officers over taking down his tent, Juju said. In memoriam: This carboard plaque pays tribute to the man, known as Cameroon or Africa by locals . ‘He would say, “Ticket me. Give me my day in court,”’ he said. But despite his run-ins with the law, Juju said Africa was a generally peaceful man. ‘He was generous,’ he told the LA Times. ‘He lived in a tent, but he was content.’ The LAPD has its own investigation into the killing, which will 'determine whether the use of deadly force was consistent with Department policies and procedures'. LA County's district attorney's office will also conduct its own probe. Last night, LAPD spokesman Andy Smith insisted that the shots only came after the struggle over a firearm. He told reporters: 'During the attempt to detain him, this individual resisted our officers. Theys struggled with him, they tried to tase him a couple of times.' 'That was ineffective and eventually the struggle occurred where the officers that were struggling with the individual over one of the officer's weapons. Police have not formally identified the man they killed. A spokesman told DailyMail.com that no more information would be released Monday, and that any body cam footage would be held back until after the LAPD's own investigation was over. Shooting: The attack took place in the Skid Row district of Los Angeles, which is known for its large homeless population .
Los Angeles cops gunned down homeless man Sunday afternoon . Claimed he was killed after trying to take an officer's gun . Police chief today revealed photographs which he said proves their case . Witnesses have disputed whether the man ever reached for a gun . Skid Row dweller was apparently called Booth, but known locally as 'Africa'