Fatal
shooting investigated
By Franklin A. Holman
On-line Forty-Niner
 Rodney
David Tolbert, 35, was shot and killed by
Long Beach police Tuesday after he confronted
officers with a 12-inch hatchet, Long Beach
Police Department said at a press conference
Wednesday afternoon.
The incident took place after police responded
to a call at 10:05 a.m. Feb. 11 to 1404
E. 68th St.
Sgt. Paul LeBaron said the dispatcher who
received the call reported hearing an argument,
children crying and a male voice saying,
“I will kill you.”
This was the second call from that residence
police had responded to that day, LeBaron
said.
Tanya Jones-Tolbert, 32, wife of Rodney
Tolbert, made the first call at 7:27 a.m.
Police arrived and filled out a report for
vandalism, for broken out windows in a vehicle
and in the residence. Tolbert was identified
as a suspect, LeBaron said.
In the later incident, officers Asif Khan,
10-year veteran, and Antonio Haro, 12-year
veteran, of the Long Beach Police Department,
arrived at the scene at 10:11 a.m., LeBaron
said.
At the scene, officers met Tanya Jones-Tolbert,
who came out of a neighbor’s residence.
She told the officers that “she fled because
she feared for her safety and because she
was afraid of Rodney,” LeBaron said.
The officers asked Tonya if Rodney was armed,
and she told the officers that “she did
not know,” LeBaron said.
The officers proceeded toward Tolbert’s
house, identified themselves as police officers
and ordered Tolbert to come out, but Tolbert
did not respond, LeBaron said.
When officers began to search the house,
Tolbert appeared in the back end of a hallway
in the house, coming from the direction
of the backyard, LeBaron said. He was 26
feet away from the officers at that time
and armed with a 12-inch hatchet.
According to LeBaron, the officers said
Tolbert was confrontational, aggressive,
and when he was ordered to put the weapon
down, he ignored their orders to do so.
“It’s still not clear at this point what
he was doing with the weapon,” LeBaron said.
Tolbert was argumentative with the officers
and told them, “You are going to have to
shoot me,” LeBaron said.
The situation escalated quickly as Tolbert
approached the officers. When Tolbert
was 12 to 13 feet away, the officers fired
six shots, hitting Tolbert numerous times
in the torso, LeBaron said. The officers
removed the weapon and started giving Tolbert
CPR.
Tolbert was pronounced dead at Long Beach
Memorial Medical Center at 10:54 a.m., LeBaron
said.
“[Rodney] was going through some family
problems, but everybody goes through them,”
Shaun Respress, older brother of Tolbert,
said. “He was my little brother. It’s hard
to get up and not be able to call him.”
Tolbert had a felony record, was on probation
for robbery, had domestic violence arrests,
and an outstanding warrant with a $25,000
bail for spousal abuse and resisting arrest.
The case is currently being investigated
by the Long Beach Police Department, the
Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office,
and the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.
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