The man who was killed in a police shooting inside a 7-Eleven Thursday night was holding a CO2-powered BB gun, authorities announced.
Police identified him as 18-year-old Jordan Michael Griffin from Long Beach.
Detectives had been following Griffin and another man, 22-year-old Devontae Moore, as they were suspected in a series of armed robberies to convenience stores throughout Long Beach. They followed Griffin inside the 7-Eleven on Pacific Coast Highway and Clark Avenue and saw him attempting to rob the store with what appeared to be a black handgun, police said.
Griffin was told repeatedly to drop his weapon and he did not, leading the officers to shoot him, authorities said.
“Due to the suspect’s actions and failure to comply, detectives believed this to be a firearm,” police said in a news release. “Fearing for the individuals inside the business, an officer involved shooting occurred.”
There was one employee and two customers inside the store during the shooting at 11:30 p.m.
Police said they learned the gun was not real “after closer examination.”
The department has not stated how many officers were involved in the shooting or how many times Griffin was shot.
“As with all officer involved shooting incidents, the department will be conducting a full and thorough multi-level review, as well as the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, who is responsible for conducting an independent investigation of the shooting, as they do with all officer involved shootings that occur in Los Angeles County that result in injury or death,” police said.