One man is dead following a shooting involving an off-duty Beverly Hills Police officer in Van Nuys Thursday night.
The shooting happened around 8 p.m. on Roscoe Boulevard near the 405 Freeway on-ramp. The Beverly Hills officer was driving with another person when he saw two people fighting on the street.
One of the men had a pipe and the other a gun, according to police. The off-duty officer tried to break up the fight and as a result fired his gun, striking one of the men.
The off-duty officer was unharmed and remained at the scene until LAPD units arrived. The man branding a pipe had left but was located nearby.
“We prefer our officers if they’re off-duty, if they can, to be good witnesses. But sometimes that’s not an option,” said LAPD Captain Brian Wendling. “If someone’s life is in jeopardy, you do have a duty to stop.”
It was not confirmed if the man killed lived locally or was homeless.