LA authorities extinguish burning man on Hollywood Hills street

The charred body of a man was found on a street corner in the Hollywood Hills after neighbours reported hearing gunfire on Friday (16 December) night.

Authorities began receiving calls about shots being fired at Outpost Drive and Outpost Circle, at around 11pm local time (7am GMT), according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).

Officers arrived at the scene to find the man lying on the pavement engulfed in flames. He was found lying on top of a firearm and suffered one gunshot wound to the head. It is unclear if he was targeted or if it was self-inflicted.

"After he went down and after he was engulfed in fire, he had extra ammunition on his person, and that fire lit off those rounds," an official from the police department's West Bureau Homicide Division told NBC Los Angeles.

The man was extinguished by respondents from the fire department and paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

He is yet to be identified, due to the severity of the burns, but according to reports, he is thought to be between 30 and 40-years-old.

LAPD Officer Jenny Houser said: "Evidence suggests this was a suicide."

She added that a motive has not yet been established.