Suicidal Man Killed in Officer-Involved Shooting

LONG BEACH, CA — A man who claimed to have a gun and called police to tell them he wanted to die by "suicide by cop" was killed in an officer-involved shooting Sunday night, authorities said Monday.

The man called police at around 9:15 p.m. Sunday telling them he was in the 1600 block of Obispo Avenue and he was armed with a handgun, according to the Long Beach Police Department.

Officers responded, set up a containment, and started to devise a plan to deal with the man, police said. At around 10:15 p.m., a team of officers from the mental evaluation team got into position and began negotiating with the man who was getting agitated, police said.

Police noticed the man was armed with a knife and directed him to drop it, but he refused and charged at officers with it. That was when an officer-involved shooting occurred, according to the LBPD.

The man was declared dead at the scene by the Long Beach Fire Department. A large knife was recovered at the scene, police said. A photo, provided by police, showed the knife with an 8-inch blade.

The man's identity has not been released, and the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office was conducting its own investigation into the death.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office was also conducting an independent investigation, which is a standard procedure when an officer-involved shooting resulted in an injury or death.

Photo courtesy of the LBPD