Sheriff’s investigation underway after barricaded man is killed by Lompoc police

LOMPOC, Calif. – The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office is investigating a police shooting that left a man dead Saturday evening in Lompoc.

The shooting happened around 6:30 p.m. on the 700 block of West Cypress Avenue in Lompoc. Police initially responded for reports of an assault with a deadly weapon.

When Lompoc police arrived on scene, the suspect barricaded himself inside a home and refused to surrender.

"Officers surrounded the residence," said Lompoc Police Department Sergeant Vincent Magallon.

Lompoc residents near the scene were told to shelter in place while law enforcement responded.

Police fired on the man after he allegedly came to the door and pointed a handgun at three officers. The officers opened fired and the man was killed by their gunfire. The officers were uninjured.

Lompoc's chief of police, Joseph Mariani, requested an investigation by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office. It is usually standard procedure for an outside law enforcement service to investigate any shootings involving local law enforcement.

The Lompoc Police Department will continue to investigate the original assault case as well as the administrative side of the shooting investigation.

The identity of the man killed by police has not yet been released. The officers who fired on the man have also yet to be identified.

Sergeant Magallon said this is the second officer-involved shooting of 2021.