One suspect is in custody after a shooting in Baldwin Park, California left a police officer dead and another hospitalized Saturday night, officials from Baldwin Park Police Department and Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office said.
Officers responded to a call of gunshots and an individual down shortly after 7 p.m. at the 4200 block of Filhurst Avenue, officials said. The call indicated someone was shooting with a rifle.
An unidentified adult male was found dead at the scene that officials are calling a “double murder.” Authorities believe they have recovered the weapon.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department is taking the primary lead in the investigation, Sheriff Robert Luna said.
Luna said an adult male suspect is believed to be the person behind the shootings of both the officer and victim found at the scene. He is believed to have fired at officers first and then struck by gunfire. The unidentified suspect was later transported to the hospital in stable condition, officials said.
“Our officer was an amazing man,” Robert Lopez, chief of Baldwin Police, said in a news conference early Sunday morning. Officials said the name of the officer would not yet be released, as they were not able to notify all family members at the time of the press conference.
Lopez said the fallen officer was an avid snowboarder and fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers, traveling to different stadiums across the country to see watch the team play.
The other officer who responded to the scene was hospitalized and is in stable condition.
