2nd wounded, susp held in Calif. gunfight
ONE CALIFORNIA police officer was killed and another wounded Monday morning by a recently paroled gang member who authorities said was involved in the killing of another man earlier in the day.
The 26-year-old suspect was also wounded during the shooting that took the life of Keith Boyer, 53, a 27-year veteran of the Whittier Police Department who had responded to the scene of a traffic accident in the Los Angeles suburb.
Surviving officer Patrick Hazel and the suspect, who has not been identified, are both in stable condition and expected to survive.
Police were originally called to the scene of a crash where the alleged gunman was believed to be driving a stolen car that ran into two other vehicles at a stoplight.
The suspect, a known gang member, according to police, began shooting shortly after getting out of the vehicle, the Los Angeles County sheriff’s office said.
A resident in the well-to-do area who witnessed the shooting from his window told the Daily News that the suspect had originally seemed to be trying to run, but stopped as officers approached him and told him to lie down on the street.
Around “six or seven” shots were fired, and the suspect, who had yelled something back at police, went to the ground, the witness said.
He said he saw an officer move a handgun away from the alleged gunman as he was being arrested, and police later confirmed the suspect had a pistol.
The alleged gunman is a suspect in the murder of a man early Monday morning in East Los Angeles, where the car was stolen, authorities said.
The suspect had recently been in prison for an unspecified crime, but had been paroled about a week ago, police said.
Boyer, a father of adult children, died at a local hospital. His body was escorted to the coroner’s office by a large caravan of fellow officers.
“I didn’t think I had any more tears,” Whittier Police Chief John Piper said at an emotional news conference where he spoke about the dangers officers face.
Piper said he and Boyer, a drummer, had played together in a band that performed at charity events.