State to investigate bystander’s death at scene where L.A. County deputies shot suspect

State prosecutors will investigate the killing of a man outside a Norwalk home where a gunman was found hiding after being shot by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies early Friday, authorities said.

A sheriff’s special enforcement team entered the home near the 12100 block of Foster Road early Friday and arrested the suspect, the Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.

The suspect, who was not identified, was taken to a hospital with multiple gunshot wounds, authorities said. An update on his condition was not available.

Deputies also found a man with a gunshot wound lying in the yard of the house, sheriff’s officials said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Los Angeles County coroner’s office identified him as Pedro Lopez, 67.

Authorities did not say whether the alleged gunman was suspected in the man’s death.

The man was shot in the upper torso, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

“Detectives collected evidence at the scene and are awaiting ballistic testing to determine the source of the fired bullet that struck the victim who was determined to be an uninvolved bystander,” deputies said.

The attorney general’s office announced Friday night that it was launching an investigation into the man’s death.

“It has not yet been determined how the decedent was shot and killed,” according to a statement by state authorities. “Given this uncertainty, the California Department of Justice is treating the incident as an AB 1506-qualifying event.”

Assembly Bill 1506, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September 2020, requires the attorney general’s office to independently investigate all fatal law enforcement shootings of unarmed civilians to determine whether criminal charges should be filed against officers.

The incident began about 7 p.m. Thursday when deputies searching the neighborhood in response to an assault and carjacking spotted the suspect, sheriff’s officials said.

When one deputy tried to arrest him, the suspect pulled out a gun, prompting the deputy to fire, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

Two other deputies shot at the man as he ran to the yard of a house, authorities said.

The suspect then ran into the house, where he hid for the next several hours, authorities said. Its residents were able to safely evacuate.

The standoff ended around 1:30 a.m., according to Bonta’s office.

No deputies were injured.

The Sheriff’s Department did not say whether a weapon was recovered at the scene.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.

Anonymous tips can be submitted to Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477 or online.