COMPTON, Calif. – A man was shot and killed by Sheriff deputies in the city of Compton on Thursday.
Residents reached out to us to say a shooting occurred at the Gateway Towne Center around 12:25 pm and that the man was armed with they described as an ax but was determined to be a hatchet.
Deputies were told by a victim at the scene that he was attacked by a man armed with a hatchet. The deputies conducted a search and found the armed man near the Compton Town Center Plaza.
The Towne Center is off the 91 freeway and features such stores as Best Buy, Home Depot, and Target.
“As deputies observed the suspect approaching one of the shopping stores still with the hatchet in hand, a deputy-involved shooting occurred,” according to the sheriff’s department.
Only one deputy opened fire on the suspect, striking him an unknown number of times. The suspect was taken from the scene to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The suspect’s name was withheld pending notification of his next of kin. Deputies estimated he was between 45 and 50 years old.
No other injuries were reported in the shooting or the preceding attack.
Investigators recovered a hatchet from the scene, but no further details were available.
There are no outstanding suspects.
The shooting is under investigation, and anyone with information was asked to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be called in to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or submitted online at lacrimestoppers.org.
City News Service contributed to this report.
