‘Minor Incident’ Turned Deadly, Says Shopkeeper

A camera shop co-owner said Sunday he was stunned by how quickly a minor encounter with a man who was allegedly trying to sell stolen equipment turned deadly after the suspect pulled a pistol and was shot by a Los Angeles police officer.

The co-owner, who praised police, said it was unfortunate that someone was killed but workers were obligated to notify authorities when they suspected the man had stolen goods.

“It was a minor incident and it really blew up,” said the businessman, who did not want to be identified. He said he feared retaliation from associates of the unidentified man who was killed or a second male suspect who is still being sought by authorities.

“The police responded appropriately and quickly,” he added.

There was no way to predict that the suspect would confront police with a weapon, he said.

“We didn’t foresee any of this coming down,” he said. “Had we known this was going to happen, we probably would have told him to take the equipment somewhere else. Unfortunately, we were caught between the criminals and the police.”

Police said the incident began about 3:45 p.m. Saturday when 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.

When Officers Jennifer Freeman and Dondee Stout of the West Valley Division began to investigate, police said, one of the men drew a large-caliber pistol from a holster. A struggle ensued and Freeman fired a single shot.

Customers and employees in the store hit the floor when they heard gunfire, but no one else was injured, police said.

The gunman was pronounced dead at the scene by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics. His identity was being withheld by authorities pending notification of family members. Police said the department’s robbery-homicide division was investigating the officers’ use of force.

Stolen camera equipment and credit cards were found at the scene.

The co-owner said he ran from the shop during the struggle, but went back after hearing a gunshot.

“Things were knocked over on the floor, backup came and police were swarming. It all happened very quickly,” he said. “All we did was report to police the possibility that the equipment was stolen. It was a routine check of the serial numbers that led to the police response.”

Police said the second suspect ran from the shop, then drove off in a black, four-door Honda. He was described by police as an Asian or Latino man between 25 and 30. He is about 5 feet, 8 inches tall, weighs about 170 pounds and wore his black hair in a ponytail. He was wearing jeans and a dark jacket.