Palmdale

Man Shot and Killed By Sheriff's Deputies in Palmdale

A 36-year-old man was shot and killed by sheriff’s deputies in Palmdale Friday morning in what investigators said was possibly a "suicide by cop."

Deputies responded to a call of a possibly suicidal man armed with a gun walking along Rancho Vista Boulevard just before 4 a.m. When they arrived, they encountered the man near Cricket Lane.

Detectives believe he fired at least one round at the sheriff’s deputies, and three deputies returned fire.

"The individual produced a handgun and the deputies, in fear for their safety, fired with their duty weapons at the suspect and they struck the suspect," said Lt. Dave Dolson of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau.

The Palmdale resident died at the scene. No deputies were injured.

Neighbor Steven Polovina said he woke up to the sound of gunfire.

"It was early morning, almost about 4 o’clock, when I heard six gunshots. At the time I thought someone was tapping at my window, but I realized they were gunshots," Polovina said. "Woke me up out of a dead sleep."

Local

Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.

Spring storm to bring rain, wind and snow. See the Southern California weekend forecast

Shohei, sunshine and spring baseball. Scenes from the 2024 home-opener at Dodger Stadium

Detectives said they are still in the preliminary stages of an investigation into the shooting.
The man’s name was not immediately released.

Michael Larkin contributed to this report.

Contact Us