Los Angeles/ Crime & Emergencies
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Published on October 10, 2023
LAPD Investigation into the Death of an Armed Suspect in Los Angeles Source: Google Street View

On Saturday, October 7, officers from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) responded to a report of an armed man in a gray pick-up truck. The ensuing confrontation resulted in an officer-involved shooting (OIS) and the death of 44-year-old Oscar Lopez, according to LAPD Newsroom. Investigations, led by LAPD's Force Investigation Division, are ongoing.

The confrontation unfolded in a shopping center parking lot when Topanga Division officers, observing Lopez and another seemingly intoxicated man inside the vehicle, attempted to engage them. The situation escalated after an officer spotted a handgun in Lopez's waistband and ordered him not to move for it. When Lopez's hand shifted towards his waistband, the officers fired. On arrival at the scene, emergency personnel pronounced Lopez dead, while the other man in the truck was unharmed, as reported by Hoodline.

Despite the fatality, no police officer or community member was harmed on the scene, according to a Hoodline report.

The LAPD's specialized Force Investigation Division, Chief of Police, Board of Police Commissioners, and the Office of the Inspector General, will assess the incident's alignment with the LAPD's regulations as per LAPD Newsroom.