This was last December.
According to police, he was holding
and air rifle, in a stolen car.
From the video, looks like he had his
hands up by steering wheel.
A 23-year-old Los Angeles man who was shot and killed by Torrance police over the weekend was holding an air rifle, authorities said Thursday, Dec. 13.
Christopher Deandre Mitchell, who police found inside a stolen vehicle after approaching it to investigate, was found with the air rifle Sunday, Dec. 9, Sgt. Ronald Harris said.
Torrance police officers recovered a Crosman Phantom 1000 air rifle with an altered buttstock at the scene of an officer-involved shooting Sunday, Dec. 9. Police originally responded to investigate a reported stolen vehicle and were met by the suspect. (Courtesy of Torrance Police Department)
Officers shot the suspect and he later died of his injuries, authorities said.
It was about 8 p.m. when a man flagged down a patrol officer in the area of Western Avenue and 220th Street and told him he had seen his vehicle, which was stolen two nights prior, in the area of Western Avenue and Carson Street, Harris said.
Officers responded and found the vehicle, a black 2000 Honda Civic, in a Ralph’s grocery store parking lot in the 1700 block of Carson Street. The vehicle was since confirmed by investigators as stolen, Harris said.
They were met by Mitchell, who was holding the rifle, as they approached.
After the shooting, police took Mitchell out of the car and attempted life-saving measures, but he died of his injuries, Harris said.
The air rifle was identified as a Crosman Phantom 1000 with what appeared to be an altered buttstock, Harris said.
The investigation, which is being conducted by the Torrance Police Department’s Special Operations Bureau with the assistance of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, remains ongoing, Harris said. The District Attorney’s office’s is reviewing the incident, which is routine for all officer-involved shootings.
