Jesucita Ortega, 25

Jesucita Ortega, a 25-year-old Latina, was shot and killed by Long Beach police Thursday, March 17, in the 3100 block of Pine Avenue in Long Beach, according to authorities.

The shooting occurred about 2:50 p.m., said Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman Nancy Pratt. An officer responding to a report of a person screaming saw Ortega attacking a man with a sharp object.

“The officer immediately ordered [Ortega] to drop the sharp object, but she continued in her attack,” Pratt said. “The officer then deployed a Taser, which was ineffective. At that point, the officer-involved shooting occurred."

A preliminary investigation has revealed that the woman feared that the man was going to harm the couple's children and was attempting to protect them, authorities said.

When the officer arrived at the scene, Ortega was slashing the man in the head and neck with the sharp object. When she advanced toward the officer with the sharp object in hand, she was shot several times.

Authorities said the couple were not married but lived in a residence with two children, both of whom were unharmed. The children were being relocated by the Department of Children and Family Services.

The man has not been identified. He remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition.

In addition to the ongoing Police Department investigation, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office is also conducting an independent investigation, which is routine for all officer-involved shootings.

-- Louis Sahagun