Man who pointed BB gun at Inglewood police officers and was fatally shot suffered from mental illness, authorities say
A man who pointed a BB gun at Inglewood police and was shot dead Friday night struggled with mental health issues and had left a suicide note, police said.
The man, who has not been publicly identified by police, pointed the BB gun at two uniformed officers near the police station at about 11 p.m., police said. The BB gun was designed to look like a .44 magnum, police said.
At least one of the officers shot the man, who died at the scene despite treatment by the Los Angeles County Fire Department, authorities said.
On Saturday morning, a member of the man’s family contacted police to report him missing, police said. That family member told police about the man’s mental health struggles and the suicide note.
Police have retrieved the note and booked it into evidence, authorities said.
No officers were injured during the incident, and video surveillance of the encounter has also been preserved as evidence, police said.
Twitter: @JackDolanLAT
UPDATES:
4:45 p.m.: This article was updated with new information from police about the victim’s mental state.
This article was originally posted at 8:55 a.m.
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