Local News in Brief : Police Kill Retired Officer
A retired police officer who was threatening to shoot himself was shot and killed Wednesday on the front porch of his San Pedro house when he pointed a loaded gun at police, authorities said.
Los Angeles police, told that a man with a handgun was threatening suicide, negotiated with Griffith H. Chase, 46, for an hour before he emerged from his house carrying a .38-caliber revolver, police spokesman Fabian Lizarraga said.
Chase pointed the gun at his right temple, then at Officer Ronald Waugh, who fired once, hitting Chase in the upper chest, Lizarraga said.
Chase was a member of the Compton Police Department from 1967 to 1975, when work-related back injuries forced him to retire.
Neighbors said Chase had been despondent in recent months.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
