A number of lawyers and immigrant rights groups condemned the "rush to judgment" by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the Los Angeles Police Department in the case of Manuel Jamines, who was fatally shot by police in Westlake on Sunday.

Villaraigosa continued to defend the LAPD, telling reporters that he stands behind the statements he made Thursday.

"You can't call [LAPD Chief Charlie Beck] a murderer," he said.

A press conference held Friday morning outside of City Hall by the National Lawyers Guild, ANSWER Coalition, Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition and Union of Guatemalan Immigrants was interrupted when Villraigosa started walking down nearby steps. He was en route to the celebration of Latino Heritage Month on the south lawn of City Hall.

"I may have upset some people," the mayor said to reporters. "But I stand by these officers. If an innoncent bystander had been killed, you would be wondering why that officer let that happen."

Earlier, Jim Lafferty of the National Lawyers Guild (pictured on left), expressed disgust with the mayor's disrespect for due process and with the LAPD's response to nightly protests in Westlake since the death.

Attorney Colleen Flynn observed Tuesday's protests on behalf of the guild. She said though the police exercised restraint at first, by the end of the night, they had started to arrest people randomly.

"Instead of targeting those protestors who were violent, they were indiscriminately rounding up community members who had done nothing," she said.

Juan Jose Gutierrez of the Immigrants Coalition called for Beck and the Mayor to introduce civilian police boards that would be "directly involved" in internal police investigations.

"They feel they can step over the Constitution by guessing the outcome of the investigation before there is even an investigation," he said.

In front of people holding signs calling for "Justice for Manuel," Gutierrez said the actions the officers involved in the shooting, Villraigosa and Beck have been "shameful, undemocratic and un-American."

To reach reporter Paresh Dave, click here.

Find him on Twitter: @peard33.

Sign up for Neon Tommy's weekly e-mail newsletter.