Two people were killed in a deputy-involved shooting at a Bellflower, California, residence on Sunday after deputies responding to a medical call encountered an armed man inside.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies from the Lakewood station went to the 9500 block of Maplewood Street at about 1 p.m. after a neighbour called 911, according to the sheriff’s department. Through an open window, they saw an unresponsive elderly woman covered in blood.

Deputies entered the home to render aid and search for other victims. Inside, they encountered a man in his early 50s who produced a handgun, prompting the shooting, officials said. A handgun was recovered next to the man, though it was unclear whether he fired it.

Fire department personnel pronounced the woman, in her 80s, and the man dead at the scene. Two deputies fired their weapons, and neither was injured.

Investigators said the two deceased knew each other and called the incident isolated, ‘not a random act of violence,’ according to Lt. Michael Modica. Their identities were not released.

Why it matters: the case shows how a medical-aid response can turn deadly when responders walk into an armed confrontation.