A man who witnesses say was attacking his family with a meat cleaver in Palms was fatally shot by police, authorities said.
Officers were sent to the 3600 block of Keystone Avenue about 5:50 a.m. on a report of an assault with a deadly weapon, and the shooting occurred, the Los Angeles Police Department reported.
The suspect, an adult male in his 40s, was at the location with three family members: two adult women, and one 10-year-old child, an LAPD spokesperson said at a news conference around 9:30 a.m.
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The suspect was armed with a meat cleaver, and when police arrived to the home they heard a struggle inside.
Officers forced entry, fearing for the safety of the three family members, at which point the shooting occurred.
The suspect was struck and injured by police gunfire and was taken to a hospital, police said. He later died at the hospital. The meat cleaver was still at the scene at the time of the news conference.
No officers or members of the family were hurt. The circumstances of the shooting were under investigation.
Neighbors were shocked.
"I'm so scared," said a woman who'd lived with the family for nearly a decade and moved into her own unit about four years ago. "Of course I don't expect like this.
"All you can do is pray for them, for the mom," said the neighbor.
"I just pray to God."
