Long Beach officers shot and killed a man Saturday night who was walking near a Central Long Beach park, pointing a gun at passing vehicles and at least four different people, police said.

Police said officers responded to the area of 14th Street and Magnolia Avenue at about 9:15 p.m. Saturday and saw a man with a firearm walking on the west side of a park, brandishing the gun.

“Officers gave multiple commands for the suspect to drop his firearm, the suspect refused, and an officer involved shooting occurred,” police said in a statement. “Officers immediately rendered aid until the Long Beach Fire Department arrived on scene and determined the suspect deceased.”

It wasn’t clear which park the man was walking near; both Seaside Park and 14 Street Park are in the vicinity. Neighbors said Sunday morning that the man was standing near Seaside Park.

According to multiple witnesses, police blocked off the roads of Magnolia Avenue from Cowles to Anaheim streets and up to Seaside Park. They said about six shots were fired.

“They sounded like fireworks,” said Gerardo Rico, who lives on Cowles Street and Magnolia Avenue.

Police released a photo of a gun they said was recovered at the scene.

Police said officers responded to 911 calls reporting a man with a gun within minutes due to five recent shootings in a five-block radius of the incident since Jan. 1.

The city saw a spate of gun violence in 2020, particularly in the latter half of the year, data shows.

Five officers were involved in Saturday’s shooting, and all of them were wearing body-worn cameras, police said. The department is in the process of reviewing the footage, the statement said.

None of the officers were injured, police said.

The name of the man killed was not released, pending notification of next of kin.

A single candle and a small bouquet of red flowers were placed over the grass near the park Sunday morning where nearby residents said the shooting occurred.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact Long Beach Police Homicide Detectives Donald Collier and Leticia Gamboa at (562) 570-7244. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or text TIPLA plus your tip to 274637 (CRIMES), or visit www.lacrimestoppers.org.

Staff writer Crystal Niebla contributed to this report.