LONG BEACH – Long Beach police released video Saturday of the fatal shooting of a man by officers following a roughly two-and-a-half-hour standoff in front of a Long Beach church building.
On Nov. 19, officers responded to the 5200 block of Atlantic Avenue at 3:15 p.m. regarding a report of a man with a gun. Police dispatch received a text to 911 reporting the armed man, and the reporting party was later determined to be the man with a gun, 38-year-old Brandon Boyd, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
When they arrived, officers found a man on the church steps who matched the description of the subject described in the initial report, and he told police that he had sent the text, police said.
NOTE: The video contains graphic footage and can be difficult to watch. Viewer discretion is advised.
Officers allegedly saw that Boyd appeared to be hiding an object and he refused to say whether he had a gun. They attempted to de-escalate the situation and called in additional resources, including a hostage negotiator and a Mental Evaluation Team, but the suspect remained uncooperative, according to police. A SWAT team was then dispatched to the scene.
According to police, after more than two and half hours of de-escalation attempts, during which Boyd made “suicidal comments,” the suspect drew a firearm and a shootout occurred between the suspect and the four officers.
Officers immediately rendered aid to the suspect, who sustained multiple gunshot wounds, police said. Paramedics from Long Beach Fire Department arrived and pronounced him dead at the scene.
Police allegedly recovered a firearm at the scene. One officer was struck in an arm and taken to a hospital, where he was treated and released.
In the police video, Boyd is heard making several suicidal comments from the church steps as officers attempt to de-escalate the situation. Day turned to night, and with Boyd still sitting on the steps refusing commands from police, a gun on the ground behind his back, SWAT personnel devised a plan to “separate Boyd from the firearm.”
They deployed a flash-bang device and less-lethal foam projectiles. It is at that point that Boyd appears to grab the gun and point it at officers, triggering the fatal fusillade of bullets fired by police. A camera from inside the church also shows the gun positioned directly behind Boyd, and shows him pick it up and point it at police and fire.
A GoFundMe has been created to help Boyd’s family.
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, or worried about a friend or loved one, help is available. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 [TALK], or text TALK to 741-741 for free confidential emotional support 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
