Man dies after exchanging gunfire with Burbank police, then shooting himself
Burbank police shot an armed man at McDonald’s early Friday morning after he fired several rounds inside the evacuated restaurant, police said.
After he was struck by gunfire multiple times, the man jumped out of the restaurant through a shattered glass window and into the drive-through area, where he shot himself, according to Burbank Police Sgt. Claudio Losacco.
Lee Edward Denney, 29, of Tennessee, died from his injuries at a hospital. Police believe he was a transient who had been in Los Angeles County for a month.
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“Officers relied on their training and did what they had to do,” Losacco said, adding that they will be on routine administrative leave for a few days.
None of the officers involved in the incident were injured.
Denney had an outstanding warrant for his arrest for aggravated burglary and domestic assault out of Maury County, Tenn., police said.
Officers responded to a disturbance call shortly after midnight at the fast-food restaurant near the Hollywood Burbank Airport. While on their way, police learned Denney was armed with a handgun.
As officers arrived, several employees evacuated the restaurant and police attempted to communicate with Denney. They ordered him to exit, but he wouldn’t comply.
Around 12:50 a.m., Denney reportedly fired multiple rounds in an unknown direction from inside the restaurant before pointing the gun at the officers, three of whom fired. It’s unclear how many times he was struck.
Through a shattered restaurant window, the wounded man stepped out of the restaurant and shot himself, collapsing in the drive-through area.
When officers approached Denney in an armored vehicle, they found him still breathing. Paramedics treated him at the scene before transporting him to a hospital, where he died.
Burbank detectives were on scene Friday morning conducting a criminal investigation, while the agency’s internal affairs bureau launched an administrative investigation, as is routine.
Representatives from the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office were also on scene to assist. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Burbank Police Det. Emil Brimway at (818) 238-3210
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