Long Beach High School security officer shoots burglary suspect

Officials are investigating a Long Beach school security guard who fired his gun at a suspected burglar on a high school campus Friday morning.

According to police, Long Beach police were dispatched at 2:44 a.m. to assist a Long Beach Unified School District school security officer with a possible burglary suspect on the campus of Millikan High School.

School security officers responded to multiple burglary alarms on campus and discovered an unknown adult emerging from one of the campus bungalows, school district officials said.

When officers arrived, they learned that a school security officer, whose identity was not released, had fired her service weapon, according to police.

The gun was fired during the encounter between the security guard and the suspected burglar, district officials said.

It's unclear whether anyone was injured in the encounter or what prompted the officer to fire. According to Long Beach Unified's policy for public safety officers, officers may only shoot when reasonably necessary and justified under the circumstances, such as in self-defense and the protection of others.

The school safety officer has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the results of the investigation, the school district said.

This incident comes a few weeks after a security guard was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for fatally shooting an 18-year-old woman in the back of the head near Millikan High School in 2021.

The suspect in Friday's incident fled on foot, police said, so the SWAT team was called to search the campus.

The SWAT team completed its search at 7 a.m. but was unable to locate the suspect, who was still at large early Friday afternoon. Police officers deemed the school safe and secure for students and staff and resumed normal operating hours with an increased police presence on campus.