Officer Kills Would-Be Seller of Allegedly Stolen Cameras

A man allegedly trying to sell stolen equipment to a camera shop was shot and killed by a Los Angeles policeman 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 been released late Saturday.

The incident began about 3:45 p.m. when the two men walked into Canoga Cameras in the 2200 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, the commander said.

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

In response, the commander said, one of the officers fired a single shot. McBride said that the customers and employees hit the floor at the sound of gunfire and that none were injured.

The gunman was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics from the Los Angeles Fire Department, said agency 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 in their late teens or early 20s. The accomplice fled on foot.