Gun-wielding man killed in west U.S. amid tightened security ahead of New Year's Eve

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- A man "wielding a gun" at a busy downtown area in Redwood City, south of San Francisco in western United States, was shot dead late Saturday, local police said.

The Redwood City Police Department tweeted Saturday that police authorities "were investigating the shooting" and that "there were no outstanding suspects."

The police fatally shot the 32-year-old man after he reportedly refused to obey their order to lay down his weapon and fired at the police officers outside a bank in Redwood City, about 40 km south of San Francisco on the U.S. west coast.

The shooting came in less than a day after San Francisco police launched a Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP), or tightened security across the city, in the final holiday weekend of 2017. The MEP began on Friday evening and will last until Monday, the New Year's day in 2018.

The San Francisco Police Department has put more police officers on the street during the las two days through the New Year's Eve in the wake of a foiled terror plot last week, when a man reportedly inspired by the Islamic State planned to explode Pier 39, a heavily populated tourist spot in San Francisco.

San Francisco Police Chief William Scott told a press conference Friday that "additional deployment" of police has been planned for the holiday weekend to ensure "public safety at New Year's Eve celebrations." Enditem