Advertisement

Man killed in Long Beach police shooting

Share

A Long Beach police officer fatally shot a man after the officer used a stun gun and physical force in an unsuccessful attempt to subdue the man, police said Thursday.

Police were called to the 4600 block of East 15th Street by the fire department about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday on reports of an intoxicated, violent man who had fallen out of a second-story window, police said in a statement.

The officer arrived at the scene in an alley, and the man -- covered in blood -- approached the officer, police said.

Advertisement

After the officer asked the man to stop, his pace quickened and the officer sensed that the man was “going to assault him,” police said.

The officer issued oral commands, used a stun gun and applied physical force, but the man did not comply, police said.

The man “again advanced toward the officer, telling the officer he was going to attack him,” and the officer shot him, police said.

Officials did not say how many times the officer’s gun was fired.

The man was pronounced dead at a hospital. His name has not been released by the coroner’s office.

Before police and the fire department arrived, witnesses told police that the man was acting erratically. The man fought with his friends, but when they attempted to restrain him, he leaped into a glass window and fell from the building.

The police department is investigating the shooting. The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office is also conducting a separate investigation, which is customary in officer-involved shootings.

Advertisement

Wednesday’s fatal shooting is the fourth involving Long Beach police in the last 12 months, according to the Los Angeles Times’ Homicide Report.

Since January 2000, 42 people have been killed in officer-involved shootings in Long Beach, according to records compiled by The Times.

For breaking news in California, follow @MattHjourno.

Advertisement