Police Shoot And Kill Unarmed Man Near Venice Sign

An unarmed man in his 20s died this morning after police shot him late Tuesday night in Venice.

The shooting took place around 11:30 p.m., just steps away from the Venice sign near Winward and Pacific avenues, CBS Los Angeles reports. LAPD officers were responding to call from an employee at Cairo Cowboy saying that there was a homeless man with a dog harassing people. When officers arrived, they saw a man arguing with a bouncer outside of the bar. After confronting the man, a struggle ensued between two officers and the man, and then gunshots were fired, ABC 7 reports.

It's not clear at this point how many shots were fired or if more than one officer shot the man, according to the L.A. Times.

The man was rushed to a hospital where he later died.

Police have not been able to confirm whether the man, who has not been identified, was homeless. LAPD Officer Liliana Preciado told the Times that the man was unarmed and that the officers were not hurt in the incident.

LAPD Officer Meghan Aguila told ABC 7 that it's not uncommon for them to receive calls about people harassing others in the area. "The protocol would be to use the least amount of force necessary to control the situation," she said. Aguila said a Taser was not used during the incident.

Both officers involved have been placed on administrative leave while police are investigating. Authorities are interviewing witnesses and asking local businesses if they have any surveillance camera recordings of the shooting. The officers were not wearing body cameras at the time.

The intersection of Winward and Pacific avenues is expected to be closed off to the public until at least noon while authorities are investigating.