Off-duty DHS agent shoots, kills armed neighbor in Northridge, police say

An off-duty officer who works for the Department of Homeland Security shot and killed a neighbor who allegedly fired gunshots into the air shortly before midnight on New Year's Eve in Northridge, according to authorities.

The Los Angeles Police Department said officers responded to reports of a man firing rifle shots into the air around 10:40 p.m. on the 17150 block of Roscoe Drive.

At one point, a neighbor who was also armed confronted the suspect. The neighbor, an off-duty DHS officer, then shot the suspect.

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that the suspect fired at least three rounds at the officer.  She said the officer was in his apartment when he heard what he suspected to be multiple gunshots.

"The officer took his ICE-authorized firearm and left his apartment to investigate," McLaughlin said in a statement. The officer encountered the armed suspect and identified himself as law enforcement. "In response, the individual pointed his weapon at the ICE officer."

After refusing to drop his weapon, the officer fired "defensively with his service weapon at the subject to disarm him. The subject fired at least three rounds at the officer," according to McLaughlin.

The suspect, who remains unidentified publicly as of Thursday morning, was pronounced dead at the scene. The shooting remains under investigation. 

No arrests were made as of Thursday morning, although it's unclear if that will remain the case as the investigation progresses.