I try to go around with a couple of cameras. On the day I took this, I had two Nikon film cameras, one black and white and one colour. I had some errands to run down Sunset Boulevard. I went to a repair shop to have some boots resoled, then headed to Amoeba Music – although it didn’t open until 10.30am. All of a sudden, people started running past me. I thought: “What the hell is going on?” I heard shouts and the words: “Someone’s shooting.”
As I came around the corner, I saw the shooter and heard the bullets ricocheting – bing, bang, bing. I ducked beneath a row of newspaper dispensers. Craig Marquez, a plain-clothed Los Angeles police officer I recognised, pulled up with his partner, and they started running down the street. I followed them taking pictures. When they got to the shooter, Tyler Brehm, he was holding a knife in his left hand. He shouted: “I wanna die.” And then I saw him reach for his gun. Marquez shot him and he fell to the ground. It was so surreal.
