The late-morning shooting unfolded in a museum parking area steps from the Rose Garden; no officers or bystanders were injured, authorities said.
LOS ANGELES, CA — A Los Angeles police officer shot and killed a man reported to be armed with a rifle outside the California Science Center on Thursday morning in Exposition Park, authorities said. Officers were dispatched around 9:35 a.m., and the man was pronounced dead at the scene in a parking area on Exposition Park Drive.
The shooting halted activity at one of the city’s busiest museum campuses and briefly locked down parts of the California Science Center while police secured the area. The encounter drew multiple units after a motorcycle officer spotted a man carrying what appeared to be a long gun near State Drive, between the museum and the Exposition Park Rose Garden. Officials said no officers or civilians were hurt. Investigators recovered a firearm at the scene and opened a multi-agency review, the standard process in Los Angeles after a police shooting.
Police said officers responded after 9:30 a.m. to reports of a man with a rifle near 700 Exposition Park Drive, just west of Figueroa Street. A motorcycle officer first saw the subject walking along State Drive and radioed for backup, officials said. As additional officers arrived, they confronted the man in or near a parking lot by the museum. Video from the scene showed a heavy police presence and crime-scene tape cordoning off the north side of the complex. Stacey Hutchinson, who said he was outside the museum at the time, described the moments before gunfire. “They approached him with less-lethal gear,” Hutchinson said, adding that the man picked up the weapon and pointed it. “That’s when they opened fire,” he said. Paramedics were called minutes later and covered the body with a canopy while detectives began documenting the scene.
Deputy Chief Marc Reina said officers believed the man was carrying a rifle and that multiple units responded as the situation moved across the drive that separates the Science Center from the Rose Garden. Fire officials said they were dispatched shortly before 9:45 a.m. to an officer-involved shooting and pronounced one person dead outside the museum. Police did not immediately release the man’s name. Investigators estimated he was about 35 years old and said they were working to confirm his identity and notify relatives. Detectives collected the recovered long gun and other evidence from the pavement. Officials said it remained unknown why the man came to the site with a weapon or whether he fired at officers; those questions will be part of the shooting review.
The incident unfolded in Exposition Park, a campus that includes the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the California African American Museum and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, as well as the Science Center. The area also borders the University of Southern California. The proximity to schools and museums heightened concern during late-morning field trips and campus traffic. The Science Center briefly locked down and later said it expected to resume normal operations Friday. The north side entrances remained taped off during the afternoon while forensic teams photographed and mapped the parking area. Several nearby institutions adjusted access for visitors as police directed pedestrians away from State Drive.
As with all fatal police shootings in Los Angeles, the LAPD’s Force Investigation Division opened an inquiry, joined by the Office of the Inspector General and the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. Body-worn camera footage from involved officers is expected to be reviewed and released in a Critical Incident Community Briefing, a process that typically occurs within 45 days. Detectives will analyze radio traffic, surveillance video from museum and park cameras, and any civilian videos gathered at the scene. Officials said they would examine whether less-lethal tools were used, the sequence of commands given to the man, and the number of rounds fired. The findings will be forwarded to the Police Commission for a policy determination once the criminal and administrative reviews are complete.
By midafternoon, police tape still ringed the parking lanes nearest the Rose Garden, and families who had been inside the museum filtered out past officers logging witness names. “We heard the sirens and staff told us to stay inside,” said Marissa Delgado, who brought her daughter’s class to the exhibits. Across Exposition Park Drive, joggers paused as a coroner’s van pulled in. “It’s jarring to see this next to a place kids come to learn,” said Isaiah Brooks, who works nearby. Museum staff declined to comment beyond confirming the brief lockdown and a planned return to regular hours Friday.
Police said the area reopened in phases through the afternoon as investigators completed initial interviews and collected evidence. The man’s identity and cause of death will be released by the county medical examiner after family notification. Officials said they plan an afternoon update Friday with preliminary findings and any changes to traffic or access around the park.
Author note: Last updated February 5, 2026.