Police in Inglewood shot dead a man who they say was armed with a stick that had a knife on one end.
People who live on South Grevillea Avenue heard gunshots around 1 p.m. Thursday. According to police, officers were responding to a call about a man brandishing a knife.
Family members identified the deceased as 33-year-old Ivan Mora. They said he had schizophrenia.
“Right now, we are devastated, so we just wait for my sister so she has a little help in this, and I hope they do the investigation correctly,” said Josefina Mora, the man’s aunt.
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The shooting happened down a long driveway in front of a rear residence. His family said Mora lived in the back building with his parents and grandmother. They were not at home when the shooting occurred.
Acting Inglewood Police Department Chief Neil Cochran said officers initially used less-than-lethal force, but that Mora charged at officers with the knife, which is when they opened fire.
A neighbor told NBC4 he talked to officers when they arrived and told them Mora was not “doing OK.” He said officers tried to calm Mora down before twice using a Taser on him. They then fired beanbag rounds before ultimately killing him, the man said.
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According to the aunt, Mora’s brother-in-law is the one who called police, but she said officers have responded to the residence in the past and were able to deescalate the situation peacefully.
None of the officers were wearing body cameras. Cochran said the city hasn’t purchased them yet. Investigators are going door to door, trying to see if any surveillance cameras captured the shooting.
