Long Beach Police Fatally Shoot Suspect Carrying Airsoft Gun
LONG BEACH (CBSLA.com) — Officers shot and killed a suspect in Long Beach that was holding what officers believed to be a sub-machine gun, but was later found to be an airsoft rifle, police said Saturday.
The shooting occurred just before 5 p.m. Saturday in the area of 21st Street and Locust Avenue, Sgt. Megan Zabel of the Long Beach Police Department said. No officers were injured.
Someone called police about 4:45 p.m. Saturday and reported seeing a man holding what looked like an Uzi talking to three people in a vehicle, Zabel told reporters at the scene.
When officers got to the location, they located the suspect and the vehicle and an officer-involved shooting occurred, she said.
The man was struck and died at the scene despite officers' attempts to render medical aid, Zabel said.
An Airsoft replica rifle was recovered near the suspect, Zabel said. The air soft gun did not have an orange tip that could have indicated the weapon was not an assault weapon, police said.
The three males in the vehicle were detained pending further investigation, she said.
A handgun was recovered from one of the individuals detained. He was arrested on suspicion of being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm.
On Sunday, the coroner identified the deceased as 21-year-old Lionel Gibson of Long Beach.
Police said the investigation into the shooting is on-going.
(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
