Gang member allegedly kills Whittier officer

WHITTIER, Calif. — A gang member paroled from jail only days ago shot and killed a Whittier police officer who was answering a report of a traffic accident and wounded his partner Monday before being wounded himself, authorities said.

The officers arrived at an intersection in the eastern Los Angeles suburb around 8 a.m., but they didn’t realize a car that had struck two others at a stoplight was reported stolen, Los Angeles County sheriff ’s Lt. John Corina said.

One motorist pointed out the location of the car that had rear-ended his vehicle, and the officers approached the driver, Corina said at an afternoon news conference.

The man then pulled a semi-automatic handgun and opened fire at the officers, who were wearing bulletproof vests and shot back, Corina said.

One of the officers was pronounced dead at a hospital. The other officer and the alleged gunman were hospitalized in stable condition, Corina said.