Long Beach police kill man, face angry crowd

Long Beach police shot and killed a man about 7 p.m. Saturday, then were confronted by an angry crowd of 40 people, a spokeswoman said.

The crowd dispersed after other police units arrived at the scene in north Long Beach. The victim, described only as in his 30s, was pronounced dead at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, said police spokeswoman Nancy Pratt.

Two officers had responded to a number of calls from residents in the area complaining of a man behaving “extremely erratically,” Pratt said.

The officers arrived at the 3400 block of East 67th Street near Indiana Avenue and the 91 Freeway and tried to make contact with the man, she said.

“A physical confrontation took place,” Pratt said. “At some point, fearing for their safety, they fired at the suspect.” The information was preliminary, Pratt said, and she did not know if one or both officers fired.

After the shooting, the officers were confronted by dozens of people who were yelling and screaming at them, she said. Fearing the crowd would turn on them, the officers called for backup from Long Beach police and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the crowd, apparently residents of the neighborhood, left.

The Long Beach Police Department is investigating the shooting, and its homicide detectives were on the scene. The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office will conduct its own investigation, Pratt said.