A police officer was shot and wounded and a gunman killed Tuesday during a standoff at a home near the University of Southern California, police said.
The gunman, who was about 37 years old, died at the scene, Police Chief Michel Moore said at a news conference.
Police were called to a home in the Exposition Park neighborhood shortly after noon by members of the man's family, who said he had fired shots from a rifle into the air, Moore said.
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“They gave varying accounts as to the suspect's mental health" and whether he was under the influence of drugs, the chief said.
Officers surrounded the home, which is about a mile from campus, and evacuated people from the rear of the property.
Officers contacted the man and called in psychological experts but he refused to surrender, even after a recording was played of family members asking him to do so, Moore said.
Officers then fired tear gas into the home, and the man fired a shot that hit a police officer in the body armor covering his chest, Moore said.
More gas was fired and the man left the home and a shootout occurred during which the wounded officer was shot in the face, Moore said.
The gunman died at the scene. A rifle and a handgun were found near the body, Moore said.
The wounded officer was taken to a hospital where Moore visited the 17-year-old LAPD veteran. The chief said the officer was alert but “shaken and grateful to be alive."
