[symple_googlemap title=”Lancaster ax-wielding man” location=”2800 block of La Vida Drive, Lancaster, CA” height=”300″ zoom=”16″]
A 45-year-old man was shot to death by sheriff’s deputies in Lancaster after he walked toward them carrying an axe that he had previously used to try to kill a neighbor, authorities said Friday.
Deputies went to the 2800 block of La Vida Drive about 6:45 p.m. Thursday in response to a report that an ax-wielding man had gotten into an argument with a neighbor. The man swung the axe at his neighbor several times while threatening to kill him, Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy Trina Schrader said.
When the deputies arrived, the man was standing outside on his front lawn holding the axe, Schrader said. The man then walked toward the deputies, who ordered him to drop the weapon, which he allegedly refused to do.
One of the deputies then fired several rounds at the man from a stun bag shotgun, which did not stop the man’s advance, Schrader said. The suspect then raised the axe and continued walking toward the deputies, who then opened fire, according to the sheriff’s department.
Paramedics rushed the man to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Schrader said. His name was withheld pending family notification.
The shooting was being investigated by the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau, the Internal Affairs Bureau, the Office of the Inspector General and the L.A. County District Attorney’s Justice System Integrity Division.
—Staff and wire reports