‘Met by gunfire’: Baldwin Park shootings leave police officer and another victim dead, 2nd officer wounded
‘Met by gunfire’: Baldwin Park shootings leave police officer and another victim dead, 2nd officer wounded
A Baldwin Park police officer and a man were killed and another officer was injured by a suspect who was also wounded and is now in custody, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna said early Sunday.
The initial shooting the officers were called to – for “shots fired” – left a civilian victim dead. He was described only as a man; his identity was not immediately released.
The second officer who responded to the call survived his gunshot wounds and was described at a news conference by Baldwin Park Police Chief Robert López as hospitalized in good condition and surrounded by his family.
When the officers arrived at the scene of the call, “they were met by gunfire,” Luna said. “The call was about an individual who was shooting rounds from a rifle.”
The shooting happened in the 4200 block of Filhurst Avenue, Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Sheila Kelliher said.
More than a dozen gunshots could be heard that went on for more than 10 seconds, ABC7 reported, citing a Ring doorbell camera near the scene.
“I have the tragic duty to advise that one of our officers was murdered tonight,” Baldwin Park Police Chief Robert A. Lopez said during a midnight news conference. “Our officer was an amazing man. It’s extremely tragic to have to deal with this.”
Lopez described the officer who died as an avid snowboarder and Dodger fan who had watched the team play at stadiums across the country.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has taken the lead in the investigation, Luna said at a news conference at Los Angeles General Medical Center, where the officers were taken.
Luna said the officers were dispatched at 7:12 p.m. to a report of gunshots and a person down.
“They did not hesitate. When they arrived they were met by gunfire,” Luna said.
The suspect, a man, was shot by responding officers and was transported and hospitalized in custody. It wasn’t immediately known if the suspect was shot by the two officers who initially were shot, or by other officers who had responded.
Luna said the weapon was recovered at the scene.
One officer was taken to a hospital by air and the other by ground ambulance. It wasn’t immediately known which of those two died and which survived.
News video from the scene on Saturday night showed a large law enforcement presence, including SWAT officers and armored vehicles, in the residential neighborhood in the area of Filhurst, Palm and Harlan avenues. That area is east of the 605 Freeway and north of the 10 Freeway.
The windshield of a resident’s car was shattered by gunfire, leaving the resident shocked when he realized there was a shootout, KTLA reported.
Besides the Baldwin Park Police Department and the Sheriff’s Department, responding agencies included the California Highway Patrol and police departments from nearby cities.
Sheriff’s homicide deputies were going door to door early Sunday, interviewing nearby residents and trying to piece together exactly what happened.
Residents described a chaotic and frightening scene.
“It sounded like fireworks, like strobe rockets or something, just going off constantly back and forth,” one neighbor told ABC7. “I thought it was just fireworks, but then you hear patrol cars from everywhere, coming in, swarming.”
Anyone with information regarding the shooting is urged to call the LASD’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous can call 800-222-8477 or go to lacrimestoppers.org.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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