An off-duty Whittier Police Department officer opened fire as he chased someone who earlier had broken into his home in the Palms district of Los Angeles, police said today.
The officer-involved shooting took place in the 3200 block of Military Avenue about 10 p.m. Thursday, said Sgt. John Marquez of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Pacific Station.
“The officer was in his home, sitting in the living room when he saw a male black about 20 years old wearing dark clothing standing in his kitchen,” Marquez said. “The officer ran to his bedroom, armed himself with his handgun and chased the suspect outside his home through the backyard.”
At some point outside the home the officer fired his weapon several times at the man but it’s not known if the suspect was hit, Marquez said. It’s also unclear why the officer opened fire outside the home since the suspect was fleeing.
LAPD officers set up a perimeter and began a search of the area, but did not turn up the intruder.
“No one has turned up at a hospital or medical facility with a gunshot wound as far we know,” Marquez said. “So we have no idea where the suspect is at this point.”
The officer works for the Whittier Police Department, said LAPD Officer Norma Eisenman.
The officer’s roommates were also home at the time, but no one was injured. How the intruder got into the home was not immediately clear, Marquez said.
