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Two police officers are injured and a man is dead after he walked into the Church of Scientology in Los Angeles armed with a sword late Wednesday.
Around 3:30 p.m., officers responded to a Scientology church in Inglewood, where a “suspicious” man wearing a hoodie walked into the church with a sword, Inglewood Police Department tells PEOPLE.
Shortly after, the man was shot as were two police officers, according to the Inglewood Police Department.
One officer was shot in the hand and the other was struck in the forearm, theLos Angeles Timesreports. The officers’ injuries are not believed to be life-threatening and they are stable.
The suspect, who has not been identified at this time, and the officers were taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where the suspect later died.
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One of the officers has been with the police force for 10 years and the other for four years,NBC Los Angelesreports.
At this time, the incident remains under investigation and police are hoping to get a better understanding of what transpired after viewing surveillance footage from the area, police said in a press conference Wednesday.
According toKTLA, a woman, whose friend was inside the church at the time of the incident sent her alarming text messages. The woman said her friend called the suspect a “weird guy” that was “acting crazy.”
The Church of Scientology praised the heroic actions of the police officers in defending “houses of worship against hate crimes.”
“We thank the Inglewood Police Department for their rapid response in protecting our parishioners and staff members,” the church said in a statement to PEOPLE. “These officers are doing a heroic job protecting the community and keeping houses of worship safe against hate crimes.
“We have offered our full support to authorities who are investigating this incident.”
source: people.com
