Lincoln Heights homeowner shoots and kills suspect
A Lincoln Heights resident opened fire and killed a knife-wielding suspect Friday evening.
"I think he acted to defend himself," said neighbor Jose Vasquez. Cops aren't going to get here on time. You have to react to that."
The suspect, a man believed to be in his 30s, lunged at the homeowner with a knife after 9:40 p.m. on Friday.
The resident, who has not been identified, then fired at the suspect in the front yard of the house located on the 500 block of East Avenue 28.
"I've lived here through a lot," said neighbor Marvi Llamas, who has lived in the area since 1986. "I've never had a gun in our home, but people have. We lived through the gang violence of the 90s. Even then, I would not have sat on my porch or anywhere on my front yard with a gun."
It's unclear what provoked the suspect to approach the home in the first place but police said it was not gang-related. The suspect is believed to be about 30 years old and it is unclear if he was homeless.
"It feels bad," said Llamas. "Somebody lost their life. I came out here to honor a life that has been lost in the area."