Long Beach Police Kill Suspect Who Took Gun

A man who was being arrested on a cocaine charge in Long Beach grabbed a police officer’s gun and opened fire before officers shot and killed him, authorities said.

The dead man was identified Saturday by police as Darnell Campbell, 27, of Long Beach. One of the officers, Kevin Peterson, was injured slightly in the leg in the Friday incident.

Police originally were responding to a report of a gun-wielding man seen in an alley when the owner of a body shop approached the officers and said someone was trying to steal a car, Detective Dennis Robbins said.

Robbins gave this account:

Officer Mark Hansen found Campbell sitting on a curb, smoking a cocaine pipe. A scuffle broke out when Hansen tried to arrest Campbell. Another officer, Peterson, saw the fight and tried to help when Campbell grabbed Hansen’s gun from its holster and opened fire.

Peterson was knocked to the ground and Campbell was standing over him with the gun when two other policemen arrived. They opened fire, killing Campbell.