The shooting happened in the 2500 block of Houston Street shortly before 6 a.m. Police say the man was armed with a rifle, but his family says officers never should have shot him. However, police say they had to use deadly force because the suspect was a threat to the neighborhood.
Upon arriving on scene, officers encountered the suspect at the back of a home.
"Between the two houses, they encountered the suspect. He's a 25-to-30-year-old male Hispanic and he was armed with a rifle," said LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith.
Boyle Heights resident Erica Fausto says her cousin's husband is the man who was shot and killed by police. She didn't know why he was shooting his rifle, but his family says he may have wounded himself before police arrived on scene.
"I think that's what happened. He was asking for help. The cops got here, and they didn't do anything, and they took my cousins out of their house and locked them in a room," Fausto described. "There was more shooting, and nobody knows what happened."
Authorities said there were no injuries to the officers or the neighbors.
The identity of the suspect was not immediately released.
The officers involved in the shooting will be placed on administrative leave per standard procedure.
