Photo: CBS Los Angeles/Youtube
A man was killed in an officer-involved shooting that occurred near the U.S. Open of Surfing in California on Saturday, said authorities.
In a statement, the Huntington Beach Police Department said officers were alerted to a suspicious man with a gun at the Central Hub in Huntington Beach on the Pacific Coast Highway at approximately 3:15 p.m. local time,CBS Los Angelesreported.
Police stated that the suspect was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The man killed has not been identified.
Huntington Beach spokesperson Jennifer Carey said a gun was found at the scene, according toKTLA. An investigation into the shooting has been turned over to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
Neither department responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment prior to publication.
Witnesses of the shootingspoke to CBS Los Angeles about the incident, which unfolded in broad daylight. One U.S. Open attendee was initially confused when shots first rang out.
“We were about to head to surfing tents. That’s when we heard, like, three gunshots,” June H. told the station, “but we thought it was firecrackers and people turned around and half the people thought it was a show for some reason.”
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Luckily, Carey said the U.S. Open of Surfing had already wrapped for the day. “The crowds, the athletes had kind of dispersed,” she said, per KTLA, calling it “one great thing about the timing” of the shooting.
“Additionally, because of the U.S. Open, we had a lot of extra officers on hand,” she added. “Due to that, our officers were able to get to the call much more quickly and much more effectively.”
“And then you hear the gunshots and everyone at the restaurant instantly, including servers, just kind of dropped to the ground, not knowing what was going on,” she explained.
Turner also depicted a chaotic and confusing scene after shots were fired. “Some people were running,” she told CBS Los Angeles. “Everyone was looking around, like, ‘What’s going on? Was it fireworks? Was it a gunshots?’ Like, no one really knew. Then there was people on the ground, which made more people drop to the ground.”
source: people.com
