Girl dies from gunshot wound after grabbing Los Angeles deputy's gun, authorities say

A roll of police tape is left on the windshield of a Los Angeles County sheriff's vehicle in the parking lot of its training academy in Whittier, Calif., Nov. 16, 2022. (AP Photo / Jae C. Hong, File)

LOS ANGELES -

A girl died Sunday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after she entered a Los Angeles County sheriff’s station and grabbed a deputy’s gun, the department said.

The incident was the first time in at least five years where someone shot themselves with an on-duty deputy's gun, officials said.

Sunday's shooting came after the girl’s foster parent called authorities to their home around 7:25 p.m., saying the girl was suffering from a mental health crisis. By the time deputies arrived, the girl was gone. About 15 minutes later, she showed up at the Industry sheriff’s station about 1 mile (1.6 kilometres) away from the home, knocked on the lobby door, entered and "lunged" to grab a deputy’s firearm out of the holster, the department said.

The department has provided no video of the incident nor specific information about whether the girl fired the gun intentionally or accidentally. A press release said that a struggle ensued and “during the struggle, the juvenile suffered from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.”

The girl was pronounced dead at the scene. Her name and age were not released. Detectives are investigating the shooting.

No deputies were injured during the altercation. The city of Industry is about 20 miles (32 kilometres) east of downtown Los Angeles.