Anaheim police fatally shoot man while responding to possible robbery call

Anaheim police fatally shot a man while responding a report of a possible robbery in a neighborhood where investigators later discovered a replica firearm, authorities said Saturday.

Four officers were involved in the shooting in the 1200 block of East South Street, responding to the scene around 8 p.m. Friday before opening fire when they encountered the suspect, according to the Anaheim Police Department. The agency did not release details about what led up to the shooting or say whether the suspect refused to cooperate or pointed the fake gun at officers.

Officers rendered first aid and paramedics were called to the scene, the department said in a news release. The man, described by police as about 30 years old, was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival, according to police.

None of the four officers involved in the shooting were injured, police said.

In a news release, Anaheim police have described the fake gun found at the scene as a "realistic-looking replica firearm." The statement also notes the California Attorney General is now investigating the shooting "due to the type of weapon recovered."

Under AB 1506, the state law that took effect in 2021, the Attorney General investigates all officer-involved shootings which have led to the death of an unarmed civilian. All such shootings have historically been investigated by local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors before the bill was signed into law in September 2020, amid other criminal justice reform initiatives introduced in California in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd and the mass protests nationwide which followed.