CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / SUN VALLEY
A 53-year-old woman who had barricaded herself in her La Tuna Canyon home in Sun Valley was fatally shot by police Friday after she walked out of her home with a gun, authorities said.
The woman, who was locked in a standoff with police for more than 16 hours, stepped outside about 12:30 p.m., raised a handgun and was shot by an officer, according to Los Angeles Police Department Officer Rosario Herrera.
The woman, whose identity was not released, was taken to a nearby hospital. She died hours later, police said.
The standoff began about 7:30 p.m. Thursday, when police received a telephone call from a home in the 8400 block of La Tuna Canyon Road saying that a woman was threatening to shoot and kill herself, according to Sgt. Gil Serafin of the LAPD’s Foothill Division.
Two men inside the home attempted to talk the woman into giving up, but failed and were evacuated once officers arrived, Serafin said. The woman, who police officials said appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fired two shots inside the home, hitting the ceiling, he said.
As a precaution, neighbors were evacuated. Police closed La Tuna Canyon Road from Elben Avenue to the Foothill Freeway during the incident.
-- Ruben Vives
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