Long Beach police shoot, wound woman

Long Beach police shot and wounded a woman Saturday who appeared to be brandishing a gun outside a downtown post office.

The department’s mental health team spoke to the woman for more than an hour before the shooting, which was captured on video, said police spokeswoman Marlene Arrona. The woman, whose identity was not released, was hospitalized in critical condition.

Police were called to the intersection of 3rd Street and Long Beach Boulevard about 9:47 a.m. Callers reported seeing a woman with a gun, Arrona said.

Witness Geraldine Brooks told KCBS-TV that, at one point, the woman appeared to be holding it to her head.

KCBS video shows a woman in a blue-gray T-shirt, plaid pajama pants and flip-flops walking with her right arm outstretched and gripping what appears to be a black firearm. Police told her to drop her weapon, but she refused, the TV station reported. Police opened fire and knocked the woman onto her back.

A SWAT team and hostage negotiators had been called to the scene, Arrona said, but the shooting occurred before they arrived. Police did not specify how many officers were involved.

There have been 19 officer-involved shootings in Long Beach this year, police said. In 2012, there were nine.

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