A Long Beach police officer fatally shot knife-wielding 20-year-old David Jordan after his stepmother called 9-1-1 to report he'd threatened her, wanted officers to kill him then lunged at an officer at the front door, the department said.
Officers arriving to the house in the 1900 block of East Hardwick Street about 1:45 p.m. Tuesday approached the front door to try evacuating the stepmother and another female inside, "concerned that the residents could become hostages or injured by the suspect," stated a news release by Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman Nancy Pratt. It continues:
"Through the preliminary investigation, detectives have learned that the department’s Communications Center received a 9-1-1 call from a woman at the residence. The caller indicated that her 20-year-old step-son, identified as David Jordan, was inside the house, armed with a knife, threatening her, and yelling that he wanted the police to kill him.
"Officers arrived at the location and approached the residence to make contact. Concerned the residents could become hostages or injured by the suspect, they attempted to evacuate the two females inside the residence. While the officers were at the front door trying to get the residents out, one of them made contact with Suspect Jordan, ordering him to put the knife down.
"The suspect lunged towards one of the officers with the knife, causing the officer to discharge his weapon. At the same time, the suspect threw the knife at the officer. The suspect then armed himself with a second knife, again moved towards the officer in a threatening manner, causing the officer to discharge his weapon a second time," the news release states.
Officers immediately performed CPR on Jordan but he did not survive.
No officers were injured in the incident, the department said.
Read the full news release here.
Read Patch's prior story here.
Questions Patch is hoping the police department can address Thursday:
1. If the subject has already been identified by the caller and relative as wanting to be killed by cops, in other words suicidal and potentially unstable, why then would an officer not call into the home to the stepmother, or have the dispatcher instruct them to get out of the house, rather than risk a potential confrontation?
2. How many officers responded to the scene and how many officers went to the door where the officer(s) attempted to make contact?
3. What time span did the incident occur in? How much time elapsed between the time officers arrived and the time the subject was fatally shot?
4. Did more than one officer discharge a weapon?
5. What is the protocol for a) approaching a suicidal subject with a weapon and is the ideal to hang back for crisis intervention/mental health teams to arrive?
6. How far were the officers/officer from the subject when he was shot?
7. Details on the knife?
8. Any further personal details relevant on Jordan?
The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office will investigate the case, as is the protocol for officer-involved shootings, as will the department itself.
Anyone who may have information relating to the shooting is asked to contact Long Beach Police Homicide Detectives Terri Hubert and Mark Bigel at (562) 570-7244. Anonymous tips can be submitted via text or web by visiting www.tipsoft.com.
