Richard Joseph Barrett, 62, was fatally shot by a Long Beach Police Department officer on November 1, 2014, after police responded to a reported armed residential robbery in the 300 block of Cherry Avenue. Officers were directed to Barrett’s possible location and encountered him there; LBPD stated he allegedly attacked officers multiple times with a knife and a crowbar, and an officer-involved shooting followed. Barrett was struck by gunfire and pronounced dead at the scene.

Neighbors said Barrett had lived next door to the victims for about a decade. The residents evacuated while Barrett was inside; reports say he vandalized the home, set a fire, and killed the family dog. Investigators recovered a knife at the scene, the officers were not injured, and an autopsy was pending. The LBPD secured surrounding blocks and the investigation was ongoing as authorities sought to clarify Barrett’s motives and the full circumstances of the shooting.

Did anyone in the Long Beach area witness activity on Cherry Avenue that morning or have information about Barrett’s relationship with the victims?