LA riots figure Rodney King found dead

Rodney King, the black motorist whose 1991 videotaped beating by Los Angeles police officers was the touchstone for one of the most destructive race riots in US history, was found dead at the bottom of his swimming pool today. He was 47.

King’s fiancé called police early this morning to report she had found him in the pool at their home in Rialto, California, police Lt. Dean Hardin said.