LA police shoot, kill man in 3rd fatal shooting in a week

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles police shot and killed a man who was allegedly armed with a knife Thursday evening, marking the third fatal police shooting in a week for the department.

Few details have been released in each of the shootings this week. Last year, Los Angeles officers shot and killed 18 people — a major increase from the seven fatal police shootings in 2020, after a 30-year low in 2019.

Thursday marked the eighth fatal shooting by Los Angeles officers so far this year, out of 12 total shootings in which someone was struck by bullets.

There have been five police shootings in 2022 in which no one was hit.

Officers responded to the Sawtelle neighborhood around 5 p.m. following a radio call of a man with a knife, the Los Angeles police said on Twitter.

The man holding the knife allegedly charged at an officer as he got out of his vehicle, authorities said. Police opened fire and the man was hit.

He was taken to the hospital in critical condition and later died there, police said.

The man was not identified.

Investigators recovered the knife at the scene, the department said.

The officer was injured when he fell during the incident.

Officers fatally shot another man on Tuesday after they allegedly found him armed with a handgun in an alley, officials said.

On Sunday, officers shot and killed a man who was allegedly armed with a firearm.

They first struck him with less-than-lethal ammunition but he still refused to drop his gun, police said.