San Fernando police shoot, kill man while responding to domestic violence call

SAN FERNANDO, CA (FOX 11) - An unidentified 59-year-old man was shot and killed by San Fernando police after officers responded to a domestic violence call.

It happened at 11am on Sunday at an apartment in the 100 block of Harding Avenue in San Fernando, after neighbors said they heard the man assaulting his girlfriend.

"We had somebody call saying she was calling for help, screaming for help, we've also confirmed with other neighbors they were hearing loud screaming coming from that apartment," said Lt. Joe Mendoza with the L.A. County Sheriffs Department.

Once officers figured out which unit the screams were coming from, the man refused to open the door, so they battered it down.

"As they made entry into the apartment they tried to use their OC spray to subdue the suspect to get him to comply," Lt. Mendoza said. "However that was not effective and the suspect was armed with a knife, and that's when the officer involved shooting occurred."

In video given to FOX 11, four to five gunshots can be heard, as well as screams from the man who had been shot.

The 58-year-old man was taken to a nearby hospital, and later died.

He remains unidentified.

Police say three officers fired their weapons, and it's unclear if the man lunged at them with the knife. The officers will spend Sunday evening being interviewed at headquarters.

The man's girlfriend suffered minor injuries from the assault, but will be okay.