Man Selling Allegedly Stolen Cameras Is Killed

A man allegedly trying to sell stolen equipment to a camera shop was shot and killed by a Los Angeles police officer Saturday after he pulled a gun on investigating officers, authorities said.

Police on Saturday night were looking for a second man who ran out the door during the struggle, said Cmdr. Timothy McBride, spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department.

The identity of the dead man had not yet been released late Saturday.

The incident began about 3:45 p.m. when the two men walked into Canoga Cameras in the 22000 block of Sherman Way and tried to sell several cameras and camera equipment to the shop, McBride said.

Store employees suspected that the merchandise was stolen, and the owner called police, McBride said.

Two patrol officers arrived at the store and began to investigate, and one of the men drew a revolver, McBride said.

In response, McBride said, one of the officers fired a single shot. He said customers and employees hit the ground at the sound of gunfire, but no one else was injured.

The gunman was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics from the Los Angeles Fire Department, said Fire Department spokesman Jim Wells.

Police did not identify the officer who fired the fatal shot.

Both the dead man and his alleged accomplice were described as possibly Asian or Hispanic and in their late teens or early 20s, police said.

Police said the man who fled was about 5 feet, 8 inches tall, weighing about 170 pounds, with black hair worn in a ponytail. He was wearing jeans and a dark jacket, McBride said.

He fled on foot, but it was not known whether he got into a car.

“The investigation is just getting going,” McBride said.