LAPD Officer Shot in Willowbrook Shooting, Suspect Found Dead

By City News Service

WILLOWBROOK (CNS) - A Los Angeles policeman shot in the face during a probation search in the unincorporated Willowbrook area was hospitalized in critical but stable condition today, and the man who allegedly shot him was found dead in a house following an overnight standoff with an LAPD SWAT team, authorities said.

A probation officer was also slightly wounded in the shooting, which took place around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in a house in the 2200 block of East 117th Street near the Glen Anderson (105) Freeway and the border with Lynwood, police said. The shooting followed by around 13 hours one in the Mid-City area that left two LAPD detectives slightly wounded.

The suspect in Tuesday night's shooting barricaded himself in the house, which was surrounded by dozens of law enforcement officers, according to Cmdr. Andrew Smith, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman.

After daybreak, tear gas was fired into the house, and SWAT team members entered. About two hours later, police announced that the man was found dead in the attic. His name was not immediately released.

The wounded officer was taken to St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood in critical condition, according to broadcast reports. He was listed in stable condition this morning following surgery, police said. Family members who came to the hospital were quoted as saying they thought the officer would survive the shooting.

The probation officer was shot in a leg and treated at the scene, Officer Christopher No said.

A citywide tactical alert was issued, allowing officers to be kept on duty after the end of their scheduled shifts. It was later downgraded to include only the LAPD's South Bureau, police said. Homes around the house where the suspect was barricaded were evacuated after the shooting, No said.

Two people, possibly a husband and wife, were removed late Tuesday from a backhouse at the rear of the surrounded home, KCAL9 reported. A SigAlert was issued for the eastbound Glen Anderson Freeway at Wilmington Avenue.

Smith said there appears to be no connection with this shooting and the shooting of the two detectives outside the LAPD's Wilshire Station early Tuesday.