Officials are investigating a Long Beach school security officer who fired his gun at a suspected burglar on the high school campus Friday morning.
At 2:44 a.m. the Long Beach Police Department was dispatched to assist a Long Beach Unified School District security officer with a possible burglary suspect at Millikan High School, according to the police department.
School security officers who responded to multiple burglar alarms on campus saw an unknown adult exiting one of the campus’ bungalows, school district officials said.
When police arrived, they found that the school’s security officer, whose identity has not been released, fired his service rifle, according to police officials.
The weapon was fired during an encounter between a police officer and a burglary suspect, county officials said.
It is not clear whether there were any injuries during the encounter or what led the officer to shoot. According to Long Beach Unified’s police safety policy, officers can only shoot when necessary and justified under the circumstances, such as self-defense and the protection of others.
The school security officer has been placed on paid leave pending the results of the current investigation, the school district said.
This incident comes weeks after a police officer was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for shooting and killing an 18-year-old woman in the head in 2021 near Millikan High School.
The suspect in Friday’s incident fled on foot, police said, and a SWAT team was called to search the facility.
The SWAT team completed its investigation at seven o’clock in the morning but did not find the suspect, who was still at large on Friday afternoon. The school has been deemed safe and secure for students and staff by law enforcement officials, and has resumed normal hours with increased law enforcement presence at the school.
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