Police Kill Man in Domestic Call

A man was shot and killed by Gardena police officers after he allegedly charged at them with a knife, authorities said Sunday.

The incident began about 11:15 p.m. Saturday after police were dispatched to a home in the 13300 block of Purche Avenue to investigate a report of a family disturbance, Gardena police Sgt. David Mathieson said.

Officers were met at the front door by Joseph Evans, a 59-year-old man armed with a large knife, who then barricaded himself in the home, Mathieson said.

After many attempts to talk with the man, and concerned that he might injure himself, police forced their way into the home and confronted Evans, the sergeant said.

Evans refused to drop the knife and charged out of the home toward officers despite efforts to stop him with stun bag rounds and a Taser gun, police said.

Fearing for their lives, they fired several shots at Evans, Mathieson said. He was taken to a hospital where he died as a result of his injuries. None of the officers were injured.

Sheriff’s homicide detectives will investigate the incident, as is routine in such shootings.

It was the second officer-involved shooting that sheriff’s detectives have had to investigate since Friday, when Alhambra police, also responding to a family disturbance call, shot and critically injured a 16-year-old boy.