Police say a man barricaded inside a California Heights home opened fire on officers early this morning, prompting one officer to return fire. A SWAT team eventually entered the home and found two men fatally shot inside.
Detectives are now investigating exactly how their deaths unfolded and whether one of the fatal rounds came from an officer’s gun.
The standoff began shortly after 1:40 a.m., when a caller reported hearing two gunshots from inside a residence on Gardenia Avenue, near East 37th Street, according to Long Beach police.
When they arrived, officers talked to the suspected gunman, who was holed up inside a home and who threatened to shoot officers, police said.
They retreated and requested SWAT to the scene, but the gunman opened fire, and one officer shot back, police said.
No officers were injured in the exchange, but it remains unclear if the return fire struck the gunman.
A SWAT team eventually breached the home and found the two men dead inside from gunshot wounds to the upper body, police said.
Their names and ages were not immediately available.
LBPD will be conducting “a full and thorough multi-level review of the incident,” the department said in a statement.