LOS ANGELES, CA – Two men were found dead inside a Long Beach home after a man allegedly threatened and fired at police officers, one officer returned fire and a SWAT team later entered the house early Saturday, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
Officers were sent to the 3700 block of Gardenia Avenue in the California Heights area at about 1:41 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, after a caller reported hearing two shots fired at a nearby residence. Police said no officers were injured.
The department has not identified either man. It said the circumstances of each death remain under investigation.
Call reported two shots from a nearby home
Police said the first call came in as a report of shots fired. The caller told dispatchers that two shots had been heard coming from a nearby residence on the block.
Officers went to the address and made contact with an adult man inside the house. Police said the man threatened to shoot the officers.
Officers retreated and called for backup
After the threat, the officers pulled back and asked for additional units, police said. The department said the man then fired shots at the officers.
One officer fired back. Police did not report any officer injuries.
The man remained inside the house after the exchange of gunfire, according to the department.
SWAT team enters the house
Long Beach police asked for help from the department’s SWAT team, which eventually entered the home. The standoff took place in a residential neighborhood, and police have not released a timeline for when SWAT went in.
Once inside, officers found two men dead. Police said both had gunshot wounds to the upper body.
Police said several firearms and other evidence were recovered from inside the home. The department did not say whether officers fired their weapons when SWAT made entry.
Cause of each death under investigation
The department has not said who fired the shots that killed either man. In its statement, it said, “At this time, the circumstances for each decedent’s death remain under investigation.”
Police said the officers involved were equipped with body-worn cameras. The department said it is reviewing the footage and will make it available to the public as soon as possible.
Neither man has been identified, and no cause or manner of death has been released.
Department and district attorney to review shooting
Police said the Long Beach Police Department will conduct a multi-level review of the incident. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office will also conduct its own investigation, according to the information available Saturday.
Under the district attorney’s office’s protocol for officer-involved shootings, prosecutors respond to the scene of such shootings and in-custody deaths. A deputy district attorney in the office’s Justice System Integrity Division evaluates whether the shooting was lawful.
Neighborhood setting
The shooting happened on Gardenia Avenue, a residential block in California Heights, a neighborhood in Long Beach. Police said SWAT officers worked in the residential area during the standoff.
The department has not announced any evacuations, street closures or advisories for neighbors in connection with the incident.
Anyone with information asked to call detectives
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Long Beach police detectives at 562-570-7244.
Investigation remains active
The investigation remains active. Police have not released the identities of the two men, and the department has not said when the body-camera footage will be made public. The district attorney’s review of the shooting is pending.
