Officers shot and killed a man who was wielding a fake firearm in downtown Santa Ana, police said Sunday.
Authorities responded to several calls from witnesses around 5 p.m. of a man armed with a rifle near 2nd Street and N. Broadway Boulevard.
Police arrived to the area and engaged with the man before opening gunfire. The suspect was transported a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injures, according to officer Natalie Garcia with Santa Ana police.
The reported firearm was recovered and determined to be fake.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
The man's identity has not been released.
"I had a few customers sitting outside and all of a sudden we heard like gunshots," said a witness who chose to remain anonymous. "It was approximately like six to ten gunshots and my customers started panicking, so they just all stared running inside. There were little kids out here with the family. One just ran inside the restroom – and he was like really scared.
Police continue to investigate the shooting. The area is expected to be blocked off for several hours.
