Police officer killed during traffic stop
SAN DIEGO — One San Diego police officer was killed and another was wounded in a shootout following a late-night traffic stop, authorities said Friday. A suspect was wounded and taken into custody a short time later and hours later police surrounded a home as they searched for man described as a possible accomplice.
Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman identified the dead officer as Jonathan DeGuzman, a 16-year veteran of the force who was married with two children. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
Officer Wade Irwin, 32, underwent surgery after being shot and was expected to survive, Zimmerman said.
“It happened extremely quickly, very quickly,” Zimmerman said. “From the information that was put out that a stop was being made to that the officers called for emergency cover to when the other officers arrived on scene, we’re talking very, very quickly, Seconds to a minute or so. Very quickly.”
The male suspect was captured in a nearby ravine and was being treated Friday at a hospital. Police did not identify him but Zimmerman said he was in critical condition with a gunshot wound.
About nine hours after the shootout, heavily armed police officers surrounded a house about a kilometre away. Authorities also detonated several devices at the scene that made deafening booms. Zimmerman said a potential second suspect was holed up in the house and that information she did not describe led officers to the home.
She told reporters she had worked with Zimmerman before she was promoted to the police chief post in 2014.
“I can tell you he is a loving, caring husband, father. Talked about his family all the time,” Zimmerman said. “I know him, and this is gut-wrenching. He cared. He came to work every day wanting to just make a positive difference in the lives of our community.”
The shooting came as law officers around the country are on high alert following the killing of officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, La., this month.