Police shoot and kill armed man after 2 others found fatally shot in Downey home

DOWNEY, Calif. (KABC) -- Three members of the same family are dead after police say they fatally shot an armed man who may have killed another man and a woman at a Downey home on Saturday morning.

Investigators say the shooting happened at a six-plex in the 11800 block of Downey Avenue near De Palma Street. They believe it began as a violent domestic dispute.

Officers from the Downey Police Department responded to reports of gunfire just before 8 a.m., and when they arrived at the scene, they found an adult man with a gunshot wound. Officers then found an adult woman who had also been shot.

"You could hear a lady screaming, just yelling, maybe after the gunshots, and she was just yelling and screaming," said neighbor Mario Quintero.

Video from the scene shows both the man and woman being taken away from the scene on stretchers.

With an armed suspect still somewhere on the property, police surrounded the six-unit complex, calling out to the people inside.

In video from the scene, you can hear loud gunfire and commands from police as officers tried to get the armed man to surrender.

Video shows officers calling out the name "Javier" through a loudspeaker. In Spanish, they ordered him to come out with his hands up.

Eventually, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, which is investigating the deadly shooting, said the armed suspect came toward officers. That's when they opened fire, killing him.

The man and woman who were found with gunshot wounds were also pronounced dead.

"Based on the information currently available, this appears to be an isolated domestic violence-related incident involving the suspect and family members," the sheriff's department wrote in a later update. "There is no known threat to the community."

Police have not yet identified any of the three people killed or explained their exact relationship to each other. It's also unknown what led up to the initial domestic dispute.

Deputies said no Downey police officers or members of the public were hurt in the officer-involved shooting.

Downey Avenue was closed to the public as police investigated the scene, limiting some residents' access to their homes and parking spots.

Neighbors told Eyewitness News they were woken up by the sound of several gunshots.

"It's gut-wrenching to think something like that just can happen right around the corner from your house, where your kids ride their bikes and scooters and stuff," said neighbor Tito Marino. "To hear that, it's unfortunate. Here in the city of Downey, you know, we pride ourselves in community watch and keeping a close-knit together. So to see this is unfortunate."

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.