Riverside police shoot, kill domestic violence suspect armed with knife, authorities say

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- Riverside police shot and killed a suspect armed with a knife Thursday morning after responding to a domestic violence call, authorities said.

The fatal confrontation occurred shortly after 5 a.m. at an apartment building near Fifth and Chestnut streets, in a neighborhood located just north of downtown.

Officers were dispatched to the scene after a 911 call. They arrived to find a man in his 50s wielding a knife, according to the Riverside Police Department.

The suspect ignored officers' commands to drop the weapon, and police initially deployed less-lethal force in an attempt to de-escalate the situation, authorities said.

Police opened fire after the man refused to drop the knife, officials said.

Officer Ryan Railsback, the Riverside police spokesman, said officers "rendered aid on the suspect until paramedics got here but the suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene." The man's name was not immediately released.

The domestic violence victim, a woman in her 50s, was treated at the scene before being transported to a hospital with serious injuries she sustained from the suspect, Railsback said.

Leslie Jackson, who lives nearby, said she was in bed at the time of the shooting -- "not quite asleep, you know, just in that morning twilight. Heard the gunshots, scared the crap out of me, so I just sat straight up and I called 911 immediately."

How many shots were fired was unclear.

Area residents say this apartment complex has been a source of strife before.

"I've seen good and I've seen bad, but over there, it's not really a good place to live," said Linda Johnson. "It's not safe."

In accordance with protocol, the officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, officials said.

What touched off the domestic dispute and the suspect's relationship to the victim remain under investigation.

"My heart goes out to the woman. And now, the family is at a loss. It's terrible. It was terrifying," Jackson said.