An LAPD officer fatally shot a man whom police said advanced with a serrated pole saw, leaving key facts unresolved as an investigation proceeds.
The confrontation began after Los Angeles police received a call around 9:55 a.m. Monday about a man reportedly armed with a metal pipe, The California Post reported.
Officers arrived near Gillette and Bridge Street in Boyle Heights, a Los Angeles neighborhood. Police said they found the unidentified person holding a large pole saw.
The tool had a serrated blade measuring about 12 inches, the publication reported. Police described it as a tree trimmer collected as evidence after the shooting.
An officer fired after the person allegedly ignored commands and moved toward police. Officers then gave medical aid until paramedics arrived, the LAPD said.
The LAPD said officers ordered the person to put down the tool before the shooting.
In its statement, the department said, “He failed to comply with orders to drop the pole and continued advancing towards officers.”
The person was taken to an unnamed hospital and pronounced dead. The LAPD said nobody else suffered injuries during the encounter.
The difference between the first call and what officers found remains unexplained. The caller reportedly described a metal pipe, while officers identified the object at the scene as a pole saw.
Those descriptions may refer to the same object, but the information released so far does not settle that question.
The LAPD said the shooting remains under investigation. The department did not release the name of the person killed or identify the officer who fired.
Police also did not identify the hospital, state which agency would lead the investigation, or release any findings. No motive for the person’s reported conduct was given.
The available account does not include the full LAPD statement. It also gives no details about how far the person stood from officers when police opened fire.
Those missing facts matter. A deadly police encounter demands a complete record, both for officers forced to confront an armed threat and for the public asked to judge their actions.
Law and order requires officers to stop immediate threats. Clean government requires authorities to release the facts and account for every use of deadly force.
