A man armed with a pellet gun was shot and killed Wednesday by Los Angeles Police Department officers in Lincoln Heights.
An LAPD officer was investigating a traffic collision in the area of North Broadway and South Avenue 18, between the Los Angeles River and Golden State (5) Freeway, at about 11 a.m. when he was approached by a passerby who reported seeing a man armed with what appeared to be a handgun down the street near the area of North Broadway and South Avenue 19, according to the LAPD.
The officer requested backup and additional officers arrived at the scene, who then made contact with the suspect, who allegedly produced the handgun and pointed it at the officers, police said.
The officers fired at the man, striking him an unknown number of times.
Paramedics were called to the scene and took the man to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His name was withheld pending notification of his next of kin.
No officers were injured in the shooting.
Authorities initially said a handgun was recovered from the scene, but further investigation revealed the weapon was a pellet gun.
It was the 23rd LAPD shooting this year and the 10th fatal one, according to the Los Angeles Times. Six of the shootings have occurred this month, the newspaper reported.
The California Department of Justice is investigating the shooting, pursuant to Assembly Bill 1506, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2020, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced.
Following notification by local authorities, the California Department of Justice’s California Police Shooting Investigation Team for Southern California deployed to the scene of the shooting. Once the investigation has been completed, it will be turned over to the California Department of Justice’s Special Prosecutions Section within the Criminal Law Division for independent review.
The law requires the Attorney General’s Office to investigate any incidents where an officer-involved shooting resulted in the death of an unarmed civilian, defined as any person not in possession of a deadly weapon, or questionable use of force.
Updated July 27, 2022, 10:15 p.m.
