A man is dead after climbing a fence to get into the McKinley Elementary School campus in Long Beach while holding a sledgehammer and was confronted by a group of adults Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

#BREAKINGNEWS: A death investigation is underway after a body was found at an elementary school campus in Long Beach. https://t.co/1QOHf8ANfy

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) September 20, 2023

The Long Beach Police Department said it responded to the 6700 block of Orizaba Avenue at around 2:30 p.m. for a home invasion robbery call.

Officers arrived and were told to go to nearby McKinley Elementary School, 6822 Paramount Blvd., where they learned that a man had climbed a fence into the school’s parking lot while holding a small sledgehammer.

The man then tried to climb a second fence bordering the campus, but he was pulled down by a group of men who held him until police arrived.

Firefighters arrived and pronounced the man deceased.

An investigation into the man’s death is underway. It is being considered an in-custody death because he was in handcuffs.

“No force was used,” a police statement said.

Information on the identity of the man was not immediately released.

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