A Santa Monica police officer shot and killed a suspect Saturday afternoon at Palisades Park, near the 1400 block of Ocean Avenue, according to police and city officials. The shooting occurred while officers were investigating a reported domestic violence incident.
While interviewing witnesses, an individual armed with a knife charged at the officers, prompting an officer to open fire, as described in a police statement quoted by the Los Angeles Times. The suspect was struck, received medical care from Santa Monica Fire Department personnel, and was later transported to a hospital where they were pronounced dead. No officers were injured.
Police said the suspect was not involved in the original domestic violence investigation, a detail reported by CBS News. The scene was still active Saturday afternoon as investigators collected evidence and conducted a preliminary investigation, and law enforcement asked the public to avoid the area.
Palisades Park, a popular and iconic park overlooking Santa Monica Bay, was the location of the incident. Police have not released the name of the person who died, nor have they provided details about the individual or what may have motivated the charge.
Both CBS News and the Los Angeles Times confirmed that the officers were responding to the report of a domestic violence call when the unrelated individual approached them. The event is under ongoing investigation.
While CBS News emphasized the suspect's charge and the officer's response, the Los Angeles Times noted that police have not explained what led the individual to charge. The two reports are consistent in their core facts but differ in the emphasis placed on the police statement's passive phrasing, which attributed the shooting to the officer's discharge of their firearm.
Investigators will continue to examine the incident, and authorities have not disclosed further details.