2 California police officers fatally shot within 24 hours
Two California police officers were shot and killed and a third was wounded within 24 hours this week in two separate incidents, authorities said Tuesday.
The deaths occurred during National Police Week, an annual event that honors law enforcement officers who were killed or disabled in the line of duty.
Jimmy Inn, an officer in the Northern California city of Stockton, was fatally shot Tuesday morning while responding to a domestic violence incident, Stockton Police Chief Eric Jones said in a news conference.
In San Luis Obispo, a central California city about 250 miles (402.34 kilometers) south of Stockton, Detective Lucas “Luca” Benedetti was shot and killed while serving a search warrant Monday evening.
Detective Steve Orozco was injured in the San Luis Obispo shooting, police said. He was released from a hospital and is expected to recover from his wounds.
In Stockton, police dispatchers received a call around 9:45 a.m. Tuesday reporting a domestic disturbance. The caller reported hearing screaming and seeing a woman wearing a ripped shirt and bleeding. She appeared to have been assaulted.
Inn arrived at the home at 10:07 a.m. and was shot almost immediately in front of the home by a male suspect, Jones said.
“It was a violent, blatant and very sudden assault on our police officer,” the chief said.
A second officer, whose name was not released, arrived and exchanged gunfire with the suspect. The suspect then went into the home and returned moments later holding a young child.
The suspect began to strangle the child, an 8-year- old boy, Jones said. The officer opened fire again as a bystander tackled the suspect.
The suspect’s name has not been released. He died at the hospital. It was not immediately clear what relationship he had with the woman and the child.
Inn, 30, is survived by his wife, who is also a Stockton police officer, as well as a 7-month old son, 12-year- old stepdaughter and a 14-year- old stepson.