Palmdale Man Killed After Aiming Replica Gun at Police

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies killed a Palmdale man who had challenged them to shoot him as he pointed a replica gun at them outside his home, the Sheriff’s Department said Friday.

Stuart Rosenstein, 38, died at Palmdale Medical Center about 9:15 p.m. Thursday, about an hour after he was shot, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said.

Rosenstein told neighbors earlier that day that he was distraught over family problems and was considering suicide. Neighbors, who asked not to be named, said that during the past month Rosenstein had legal problems, his mother died and his girlfriend and children left him alone in the house where they had lived for the past eight years.

“He wanted to die,” said one neighbor who spoke to him Thursday. “He was just overwhelmed by everything and he couldn’t take it anymore.”

Another neighbor agreed. “He was out of work. He was in trouble. His girlfriend was moving out. It didn’t look real good. His life was falling apart.”

The incident began about 6 p.m. Thursday when deputies received a call from neighbors about a gun-wielding man who had barricaded himself in his home in the 37200 block of Sabal Avenue, Sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Spear said.

Over the next two hours, Rosenstein came out of the house twice, shouted and pointed what appeared to be a handgun at deputies, said Deputy Irma Becerra. Both times, Rosenstein retreated inside when deputies opened fire, she said.

Witnesses said that Rosenstein shouted obscenities and taunts at the deputies. Neighbors also said that he smashed furniture, television sets and stereo equipment with an ax as police surrounded the house.

“I heard him say, ‘If you want this gun, you’ve got to come and get it,’ ” said a neighbor, who watched the shooting.

“The deputies managed to contact the suspect on the phone and he immediately told them that he was going to kill the deputies outside the house and anyone who tried to come in and get him,” Becerra said.

Shortly after the phone call, he ran outside and pointed the replica gun at deputies, who opened fire, Becerra said.

“He pointed the gun . . . in the direction of officers,” a neighbor said. “Then all hell broke loose. A bunch of deputies started shooting. They took him right down.”

Rosenstein was hit in the upper body, she said. It was determined later that his guns were plastic replicas of a semiautomatic pistol and a revolver, Becerra said.

“The motive for the suspect’s bizarre behavior is under investigation,” Becerra said.

But neighbors are convinced that by taunting the deputies with the replica gun, he was able to commit “suicide by cop.”

“He was on a suicide mission. . . . I think he saw all this as a chance to die,” said the woman who spoke to him before he died. “He didn’t use the word suicide . He just said he ‘didn’t want to be here.’ He said it in a very quiet, serious voice.”