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Homeless man shot and killed by CHP officers in Oak View

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A 20-year-old homeless man was shot and killed by a California Highway Patrol officer in Oak View during a confrontation Friday morning, authorities said.

The officer responded to a report of a man walking in traffic on Portal Street near Highway 33 at about 5:45 a.m., CHP spokesman Danny Maher said.

When he made contact with the man shortly after 6 a.m., the man physically attacked him, according to a statement from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.

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The officer then fired one round, striking the man in the chest, the department said.

The officer provided emergency assistance until medics arrived, as did a Ventura County sheriff’s deputy who arrived after the shooting, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene, according to investigators.

Authorities identified him only as a 20-year-old homeless man. His name was not released because his family members hadn’t yet been notified. He does not appear to have been armed, Maher said.

The officer was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to the news release.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department is handling the investigation into the shooting, while the CHP will conduct an administrative review to determine whether the officer’s actions were consistent with policy.

alexandra.wigglesworth@latimes.com | Twitter: @phila_lex

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