Los Angeles police shoot man apparently firing gun on busy street

Police in Los Angeles shot and killed a man who was apparently brandishing a handgun and firing shots into the air on a busy street, authorities said on Friday.

Police were called to a stretch of Ventura Boulevard, a major thoroughfare in the San Fernando Valley, after receiving reports of a man firing a gun on Friday afternoon while the area was packed with cars and shoppers, Los Angeles police said in a brief statement on social media.

Officers tried to engage the man and told him repeatedly to drop his gun before opening fire and killing him, police said.

Nobody else was hurt.

A bomb squad was called in to inspect a bag the man had been holding, media reported. Witnesses said the man was bearded and dressed in a jacket despite the hot summer weather.

"He was just firing into the air while there were children and parents walking around," witness Verta Keshishyan told KTLA.

"Police showed up, and they told him to drop his weapon. ... He wasn't listening," Keshishyan said.

The identity of the man was not released and it was unclear if he had fired live rounds.

A handgun was found in the area, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

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