LAPD motorcycle officer fatally shoots a person during a South L.A. traffic stop

A Los Angeles police officer shot and killed a person Tuesday afternoon while conducting a traffic stop in South L.A., authorities said.

The shooting occurred after an officer on a motorcycle stopped a dark sedan along Century Boulevard east of Figueroa Streetabout 3:30 p.m., Los Angeles Police Lt. Chris Ramirez said. During the traffic stop, a passenger got out of the vehicle, and at some point, the officer shot him, Ramirez said.

Police are still investigating what prompted the officer to open fire. Two handguns were recovered at the scene, Ramirez said.

The person struck by gunfire, whose name and age were not immediately released, was taken to a hospital. Police confirmed early Tuesday evening that he had died.

The sedan fled the scene, and police were trying to find it and speak to the driver and any other passengers who witnessed the shooting, Ramirez said. Police did not have any additional information about the type of vehicle.

No officers were injured during the shooting, said Officer Tony Im, a department spokesman.

A couple dozen people gathered at the scene Tuesday afternoon waiting to learn more about the shooting. At one point, they held hands in the parking lot of a nearby gas station and prayed.

When police confirmed that the person who was struck by gunfire had died, several turned to each other and hugged.

As police investigated the incident, the California Highway Patrol shut down the Century Boulevard off-ramp from the southbound 110 Freeway. It was unclear when the ramp would be reopened.

The person is the 16^th person shot by on-duty LAPD officers this year, according to data compiled by The Times. Of those, 13 people have died.

This article will be updated.

Times staff writer Matt Hamilton contributed to this report.

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Twitter: @KateMather

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UPDATES:

7:45 p.m.: This story was updated to say the man was killed and add other details about the shooting and the scene afterward.

5:50 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details on the shooting.

5:10 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details on road closures and statistics on police shootings.

This article was originally published at 4:50 p.m.