LAPD Officer Injured in Shooting at Housing Project; 1 Person Killed [UPDATE]

UPDATED AT 8 A.M: — A Los Angeles police officer suffered a minor wound and a suspect was killed during a running gunfight in the Nickerson Gardens public housing project in Watts, authorities said.

The shooting was reported at about 11 p.m. Monday at 112th and Antwerp streets, according to Officer Norma Eisenman of Los Angeles Police Department Media Relations.

The officer was taken to a hospital, where he was later visited by Chief Charlie Beck. "I'm in awe of the courage displayed. Expected to make a full recovery and in good spirits," Beck said.

Initial accounts "suggest that our brave LAPD officers endured a fierce gun battle requiring unwavering courage," the chief said.

"Officers were on extra patrols in the Nickerson Gardens community housing project," Eisenman said. "They observed a group of individuals. In the process of dispersing them one suspect began running. The suspect produced a handgun and exchanged shots with the officer."

Eisenman said gunshots were exchanged as the chase continued, and one suspect and one officer were shot. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. The officer was taken to a hospital where he was treated for a non-life- threatening wound and released.

Reports at the scene indicated the officer was shot in the arm.

Officers from around the city helped set up a perimeter at the scene to search for suspects, but Eisenman says it appears the dead man was the only suspect. Police said a firearm was recovered at the scene.
The investigation was continuing.

Patch will update this breaking news story.

LOS ANGELES, CA - A Los Angeles Police Department officer is hospitalized after being shot at public housing project in Watts.

The shooting at Nickerson Gardens was reported at about 11 p.m. at 112th and Antwerp streets, according to a desk officer at the Los Angeles Police Department's Southeast Station.

The officer was taken to a hospital, the desk officer said. The officer's identity and condition are not immediately known. A civilian has been pronounced dead at scene, CBS2 reports. The officer was taken to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, according to CBS2.

THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY. PLEASE REFRESH THE SCREEN FOR UPDATES.

City News Service