L.A. police shoot and kill man armed with gun during confrontation in Westlake
Los Angeles police fatally shot a man who had a gun during a confrontation Wednesday night in the Westlake neighborhood.
Uniformed officers from the Rampart Division were in the area of 3rd and Witmer streets about 7 p.m. when they spotted a man with a handgun, said Sgt. Barry Montgomery, an LAPD spokesman.
Police tried to “de-escalate” the situation with verbal commands and tried to get him to drop the weapon, Montgomery said. Next, police used a bean-bag shotgun to try to get him to comply with orders, he said.
At that point, police shot the man, who was about 40 years old, Montgomery said. It’s unclear how many officers opened fire.
Paramedics were summoned to the scene, where the man was pronounced dead. Aerial footage from KCAL-TV Channel 9 showed a large cloth covering what appeared to be a body.
The man’s identity was not released pending notification of family members.
No officers were injured during the confrontation.
A multi-agency investigation is underway, which is standard procedure for all LAPD officer-involved shootings.
The officers were wearing body cameras, and their patrol cars had digital video cameras, all of which were going to be downloaded and reviewed by investigators, Montgomery said.
The inquiry will be reviewed by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, the Police Commission and its inspector general.
Twitter: @MattHjourno
UPDATES:
10:50 p.m.: This article was updated throughout with information from Sgt. Barry Montgomery.
This article was originally published at 10:25 p.m.
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