Sheriff’s deputies shoot, kill man in Lancaster

Sheriff’s deputies shot and killed a man in Lancaster on Friday night after he pulled out a pistol during a patrol stop, authorities said.

Deputies with the sheriff’s gang unit were patrolling in the 43100 block of West Avenue K-4 about 11:30 p.m. when they stopped the suspect’s vehicle, said Deputy Sara Rodriguez, a department spokeswoman. Two people were inside the vehicle at the time.

As the deputies got out of their vehicle, the man, whose name has not been released, pulled a semi-automatic pistol out from under his jacket, Rodriguez said.

At least one of the deputies shot the man in the upper torso, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the department. The handgun was recovered next to his body, Rodriguez said.

The man’s friend, whose gender has not been released and whose name is not known, fled into an adjacent dirt field and out of the deputies’ sight, Rodriguez said. A search is continuing for the suspect.

The shooting remains under investigation.

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