Two people, including a suspect, were killed and another injured after Los Angeles police opened fire during an attempted assault inside a Burlington Coat Factory store on Thursday, police said.
The incident happened at about 11:45 a.m. on the second floor of the clothing store in North Hollywood. A man and a woman were pronounced dead at the scene, and another woman with moderate-to-severe injuries was transported to the hospital, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Nicholas Prange. It wasn't immediately known if she'd been shot.
Authorities did not immediately say which was the suspect, if the suspect had a gun, or if both fatal victims were struck by police gunfire.
According to Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Stacy Spell, police responded to a report of someone being assaulted with a deadly weapon and of shots fired with people sheltering in place. Officers opened fire upon locating the suspect, police said.
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The suspect was taken into custody and then pronounced dead by paramedics. The person who was being assaulted was also pronounced dead at the scene and had gunshot wounds, but it was not immediately clear if they had been shot by police or the suspect.
Spell said police received multiple calls about the suspect acting erratically before the incident.
Imelda Garcia said her sister works at the Burlington store and was on break when she heard gunshots. Garcia said she spoke to her sister on the phone and that she's OK but sounded “really nervous.”
Contributing: The Associated Press
