The man shot and killed by a Sheriff’s deputy Wednesday morning at an East Los Angeles high school has been identified by the coroner’s office as 37-year-old Omar García.
According to City News Services, the man was homeless. No other details are known and the incident is under investigation.
Authorities said García was killed during a deputy-involved shooting Wednesday morning at Esteban Torres High School. The school was placed on temporary lockdown.
At a press conference around noon, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said that at approximately 8:35 am the department received two 911 calls regarding a suspect causing a disturbance and violating a restriction order at an East Los Angeles home close to the school.
“The incident led to a foot pursuit that culminated inside the campus and there was an officer involved-shooting,” Villanueva said. “The suspect was deceased at the location.”
School officials said all students, teachers and staff were safe and that classes would resume and operate during regular hours. An early pickup gate was set up for those parents who wished to get their students out; parents were instructed to bring ID’s and approach the gate at the corner of East Hammel Street and and North Eastern Avenue.
Authorities said counselors would be made available to any students or staff who may have witnessed or heard the shooting,
Sheriff’s Lt. Brandon Dean, from the department’s homicide division, said deputies arrived at the home of the family that originated the 911 calls, at the 900 block of North Miller Avenue, about four blocks away from the school.
Dean said the suspect, “a named disturbing party… a male Hispanic adult holding a three-foot long sword” threatened the family.
The deputies gave the suspect several orders to drop the sword. “He refused to comply and took off running. At one point deputies gave chase,” the spokesperson added.
The suspect arrived at the school and jumped the fence to get on campus. Chasing deputies were let in through a gate by campus police and found the suspect around the outdoor lunch area. Deputies again ordered the suspect to drop the weapon.
At one point “the suspect advanced on one of the deputies wielding the sword in the air and deputy involved shooting occurred,” he said. “No children or faculty were targeted.”
Brandon said only one deputy fired. The name of the deputy has not been revealed and no other details on the shooting were given. A school neighbor told Boyle Heights Beat he heard six gunshots.
Firefighter-paramedics from the Los Angeles County Fire Department responded shortly after the shooting, around 9 am. The suspect was pronounced dead on the scene.
In a tweet, the Los Angeles School Police Department said “all students and staff are safe.”
“We want to assure our #LAUSD community that we do not have an active shooter threat,” the department said, adding that neighboring schools were not affected.
Photo above from LASD’s Twitter feed.
Editor’s note: Story updated Nov. 15 with suspect’s name, other details.
