An officer-involved shooting left one man dead Sunday night, according to a press release from the Long Beach Police Department.
The shooting took place on the 1600 block of Obispo Avenue, between Pacific Coast Highway and Anaheim Street in central Long Beach.
Authorities have not yet identified the suspect who was reported to be suicidal. He told police he wanted commit “suicide by cop.”
He also told police that he was armed with a handgun; however, no gun was found on his body.
LBPD released the following statement about the shooting: “At approximately 10:15 p.m. a team of officers, that included an officer from the Mental Evaluation Team, proceeded to the subject’s location to begin verbal negotiations. The subject was armed with a large knife and was given numerous verbal commands to drop the knife. The subject failed to follow the officer’s orders and subsequently charged at them while still armed with the knife and an officer involved shooting occurred.”
According to LBPD, the suspect “appeared agitated” and citizens in the neighborhood were in close proximity to him.
Police officers attempted to save the man’s life after the shooting; however, once firefighters arrived, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, the Los Angeles County District’s Attorney Office and the Long Beach Homicidal Detail are each conducting their own investigation into the the man’s death.