- Reaction score
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3 officers dead, suspect killed in Oakland, Calif.
Updated Sun. Mar. 22 2009 10:23 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Three police officers are dead and another is clinging to life in Oakland after a parolee opened fire during a traffic stop and later shot members of a SWAT team that were on his trail.
The gunman, identified as 26-year-old Lovelle Mixon of Oakland, was killed by police, ending the worst day of violence in the history of the Oakland Police Department.
Three officers had never been killed in the line of duty in a single day.
"It's in these moments that words are extraordinarily inadequate," Mayor Ron Dellums said during a news conference on Saturday night.
The shooting began on Saturday afternoon, when two officers on motorcycle patrol stopped a Buick in east Oakland, according to police spokesperson Jeff Thomason. The driver opened fire on the officers, killing Sgt. Mark Dunakin, 40, and wounding Officer John Hege, 41.
Hege has suffered brain damage, his family said, and may not survive.
After the shooting, the suspect fled the scene on foot, which led to a sweeping manhunt involving Oakland police officers, California Highway Patrol officers and Alameda County sheriff deputies.
Much of east Oakland was closed off to traffic during the search.
Two hours later, an anonymous tipster told officers that the gunman was inside an apartment building.
When a SWAT team entered the apartment, the suspect shot them with an assault rifle, according to police.
Sgt. Ervin Romans, 43, and Sgt. Daniel Sakai, 35, were killed. A third officer was grazed by a bullet.
Members of the SWAT team returned fire and killed the suspect, said Acting Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan.
Police said Mixon carried two different weapons, one used during the first shooting and another used during the apartment shooting.
According to Jordan, Mixon had an "extensive criminal history" and was wanted on a no-bail warrant.
"(Mixon) was on parole and he had a warrant out for his arrest for violating that parole. And he was on parole for assault with a deadly weapon," said Oakland Police Deputy Chief Jeffery Israel.
Israel said it is unclear why officers initially stopped Mixon, but it appeared to be a routine traffic stop.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to fly to Oakland no Sunday to meet with police and the mayor.
Mourners gathered near a granite memorial to fallen officers that is housed in the lobby of Oakland's main police station. The memorial lists 47 officers killed in the line of duty, the last in January of 1999.
Tension between Oakland officers and the community have been high since a transit police officer shot 22-year-old Oscar Grant, who was unarmed, on New Year's Day.
In that case, Bay Area Rapid Transit Officer Johannes Mehserle has pleaded not guilty on a murder charge. In the weeks after Grant's death, citizens took to the streets in violent protests.
With files from The Associated Press
Updated Sun. Mar. 22 2009 10:23 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Three police officers are dead and another is clinging to life in Oakland after a parolee opened fire during a traffic stop and later shot members of a SWAT team that were on his trail.
The gunman, identified as 26-year-old Lovelle Mixon of Oakland, was killed by police, ending the worst day of violence in the history of the Oakland Police Department.
Three officers had never been killed in the line of duty in a single day.
"It's in these moments that words are extraordinarily inadequate," Mayor Ron Dellums said during a news conference on Saturday night.
The shooting began on Saturday afternoon, when two officers on motorcycle patrol stopped a Buick in east Oakland, according to police spokesperson Jeff Thomason. The driver opened fire on the officers, killing Sgt. Mark Dunakin, 40, and wounding Officer John Hege, 41.
Hege has suffered brain damage, his family said, and may not survive.
After the shooting, the suspect fled the scene on foot, which led to a sweeping manhunt involving Oakland police officers, California Highway Patrol officers and Alameda County sheriff deputies.
Much of east Oakland was closed off to traffic during the search.
Two hours later, an anonymous tipster told officers that the gunman was inside an apartment building.
When a SWAT team entered the apartment, the suspect shot them with an assault rifle, according to police.
Sgt. Ervin Romans, 43, and Sgt. Daniel Sakai, 35, were killed. A third officer was grazed by a bullet.
Members of the SWAT team returned fire and killed the suspect, said Acting Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan.
Police said Mixon carried two different weapons, one used during the first shooting and another used during the apartment shooting.
According to Jordan, Mixon had an "extensive criminal history" and was wanted on a no-bail warrant.
"(Mixon) was on parole and he had a warrant out for his arrest for violating that parole. And he was on parole for assault with a deadly weapon," said Oakland Police Deputy Chief Jeffery Israel.
Israel said it is unclear why officers initially stopped Mixon, but it appeared to be a routine traffic stop.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to fly to Oakland no Sunday to meet with police and the mayor.
Mourners gathered near a granite memorial to fallen officers that is housed in the lobby of Oakland's main police station. The memorial lists 47 officers killed in the line of duty, the last in January of 1999.
Tension between Oakland officers and the community have been high since a transit police officer shot 22-year-old Oscar Grant, who was unarmed, on New Year's Day.
In that case, Bay Area Rapid Transit Officer Johannes Mehserle has pleaded not guilty on a murder charge. In the weeks after Grant's death, citizens took to the streets in violent protests.
With files from The Associated Press
