Officer Kills Man Wielding Meat Cleaver, Butcher Knife

A mentally ill Long Beach man who allegedly charged police and family members while wielding a meat cleaver in one hand and a butcher knife in the other was shot and killed by an officer Friday, a police spokesman said.

Police had responded to a report of a family disturbance at a residence in the 2000 block of Myrtle Avenue shortly before 9 a.m., said Sgt. Paul LeBaron of the Long Beach Police Department.

An officer was talking to the mother and two brothers of a 20-year-old man in the front of the house when the man appeared with a knife, LeBaron said.

The man, whose identity was withheld by police, retreated into the residence. A short time later he emerged with the cleaver and began charging down the driveway toward the group, LeBaron said.

“The officer ordered him to drop the weapons,” LeBaron said. When the man didn’t comply, he said, “the officer waited until the last possible second before he was forced to take action.”

Police officials said the officer fired his gun multiple times, striking the man “more than once.” The man was pronounced dead at a hospital.

LeBaron said police had been called to the same residence in June 2002 after receiving a report of a man with a knife. The man was placed on a 72-hour hold at a mental hospital, he said.

Police said they were investigating the shooting and would not release the name of the officer involved or say how long he had worked for the department.

“It’s a tragedy,” LeBaron said. “The officer feels terrible, but he saved lives by doing what he did.”