Santa Ana police shoot and kill man carrying fake rifle, authorities say

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- Santa Ana police shot and killed a man who was initially believed to be armed with a rifle, which turned out to be a replica, authorities said.

Around 5:30 p.m. Sunday, police responded to reports of a man publicly loading ammunition into a rifle-style firearm in the area of Broadway and Second Street, according to the Santa Ana Police Department.

Officers encountered the suspect, identified only as a man in his 30s, inside a parking garage. Some sort of altercation ensued and officers fired their weapons, authorities said.

The wounded man was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.

The firearm was later discovered to be a replica, described as an airsoft or BB-style gun.

No bystanders or officers were injured during the incident, but many bystanders and witnesses in the area heard the incident unfold.

"I had a few customers sitting outside and all of a sudden we heard gunshots. It was approximately 6-10 gunshots... and my customers started panicking so they just all started running inside," said Jasmine Lopez. "There were little kids out here."

The California attorney general's office is investigating the officer-involved shooting, according to the Police Department.

Santa Ana police are conducting a homicide and internal investigation into the use-of-force to determine whether the officers followed policies and procedures. The officers have been placed on administrative leave.

City News Service contributed to this report.