Santa Monica police were interviewing witnesses about a reported domestic violence incident Saturday when, according to the department, someone who had nothing to do with the investigation entered the situation.
He was armed with a knife, police said.
The Santa Monica Police Department said the man charged at the officers in Palisades Park near the 1400 block of Ocean Avenue. An officer opened fire, striking him.
Santa Monica Fire Department personnel provided emergency medical care before the man was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The officer was not injured.
A Separate Matter
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The sequence began with a call that had nothing to do with the man who was ultimately shot.
Santa Monica police said officers responded to Palisades Park for a reported domestic violence incident. They were interviewing witnesses when the armed man approached.
Police described him specifically as an “unrelated individual.”
According to the department, he then charged at the officers with the knife. One officer fired, striking him.
The department’s initial release did not identify the man or explain why he approached officers who were handling an unrelated call.
Drop The Knife
Santa Monica Police Chief Darrick Jacob provided additional details during a briefing covered by FOX 11 and other local media.
Jacob said the man ignored repeated commands to drop the knife and continued advancing toward officers.
The chief described the weapon as a “rather large” knife. Police recovered it at the scene.
The man was believed to be in his mid-40s, according to NBC Los Angeles. His identity had not been publicly released pending formal identification and notification of his family.
MyNewsLA reported that the officer fired one shot.
Officers began lifesaving efforts after the shooting, according to ABC7. Santa Monica Fire Department personnel took over medical care, and the man was transported to a hospital.
He was pronounced dead at approximately 1:49 p.m., ABC7 reported.
No officers or members of the public were injured.
What Comes Next
The shooting triggered the standard process of preserving evidence and reviewing what happened.
Santa Monica police said shortly after the shooting that the scene remained active while evidence was preserved and a preliminary investigation was conducted.
Body-worn camera footage and other available video are expected to be reviewed as part of the investigation.
The unusual circumstances drew a fairly predictable response when the incident reached social media. Commenters repeatedly reached for variations on two old expressions: don’t bring a knife to a gunfight, and mess with the bull, get the horns.
Behind those reactions is the considerably more serious fact that the encounter ended with a man dead and an officer’s use of deadly force under investigation.
What brought the man toward a group of officers conducting an investigation that did not involve him remains unexplained.
Santa Monica police said additional information will be released as it becomes available.