An unarmed black man killed by Los Angeles police officers was shot Los Angeles police police officers was shot three times, including once in the back at close range, according to his autopsy report.

The August 11 death of Ezell Ford is among a string of cases in the United States this year in which black men have been killed by police officers under contentious and contested circumstances.

The highly anticipated autopsy, released  by the Los Angeles County coroner`s office, showed that Ford was shot once in the back, once in the arm and once in the abdomen.

The wound to his back left a “muzzle imprint” on his skin, suggesting Ford was shot at very close range. Steven Lerman, the lawyer for Ford`s family, decried the “horrifying” autopsy report.

“What they did to Mr Ford is nothing short of criminal,” Lerman told media in US.

Ford, who was 25 and apparently suffered from mental illness, was killed during a confrontation with two patrol officers — Sharlton Wampler and Antonio Villegas — in southern Los Angeles. At the time of the incident, Ford was alone, unarmed, and walking on the sidewalk. The autopsy report does not provide a narrative of the shooting, but the Los Angeles Police Department says the incident unfolded with Wampler and Villegas attempting to talk to Ford. He walked away, however, and was “attempting to conceal his hands.”