Armed man killed after allegedly charging at officers outside police headquarters in California

"I have never seen anything like this," the police chief said.

A shirtless man screaming and wielding a handgun was fatally shot by police after he charged at several officers and refused to put down his gun outside the police headquarters building in Stockton, California, authorities said.

The police-involved shooting began around 8:30 p.m. local time Wednesday when the Stockton Police Communications Center began receiving reports that an armed assailant, who was not immediately identified, was firing a gun outside the headquarters building, Stockton police said in a statement on Thursday.

Six Stockton police officers charged out of the building's front door and confronted the alleged shooter in the parking lot, according to the statement.

"The suspect was screaming and armed with a firearm. The officers told the suspect to get on the ground and drop the gun," according to the police statement.