LANCASTER, CA – A suspect was fatally shot by deputies at a Lancaster grocery store on Tuesday morning, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials.
The incident happened at the Albertsons chain located in the 43500 block of 20th Street West. Deputies arrived on the scene, confronting an unidentified man. At this point, an officer-involved shooting took place.
In a release by the Sheriff’s Department, it was confirmed that the male suspect was taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Additional details about the incident were brought to light by Lancaster city authorities later on Tuesday via a social media platform, X, which replaced Twitter. Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris confirmed that the confrontation involved a potentially lethal suspect armed with two machetes.
Drawing attention to the grave risk posed by the situation to public safety, Mayor Parris said, “Today, we faced a grave situation where a suspect armed with two machetes brought significant danger to a public area, leading to a deputy-involved shooting,” adding, “My thoughts are with those touched by today’s incident.”
It hasn’t yet been determined if the shooting incident occurred inside or outside the grocery store. An in-depth investigation into the incident is currently underway.