Homicides may have been down in Los Angeles for 2010, but the new year is getting off to a rough start when it comes to officer-involved shootings. Within the last week alone, sheriff's deputies killed notorious gangster Nestor Torres and LAPD officers shot unarmed 25-year-old personal trainer Reggie Doucet, Jr.

As of about midnight this morning, another unidentified man was dead from an officer's bullet in the Valley mall-tropolis of Canoga Park. Officers believed he was attempting to rob a Chevron gas station at the corner of Roscoe and Topanga Canyon Boulevards.

Lieutenant Rick Banks told news crews at the scene that police received a 911 call reporting an attempted robbery a little before midnight. When they arrived to the gas station, the officers in question allegedly began chasing the suspect on foot.

That's when things become somewhat unclear: The police chasing the would-be robber say he “displayed” a handgun during the chase, so they were forced to fatally shoot him down.

Officer Bruce Borihanh, a spokesman for the case, told City News Service that the suspect never fired at police. A gun has been recovered the scene. He said the man who was killed was in his 20s; however, relatives must be notified before his name can be released.

According to KNX news radio, investigators may ask residents of a nearby retirement home if they saw the shooting — and if so, what exactly happened to prompt the LAPD homicide.

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