2 San Diego police officers shot, 1 fatally, during stop

[rooster59]

2 San Diego police officers shot, 1 fatally, during stop

ELLIOT SPAGAT, Associated Press
JULIE WATSON, Associated Press


SAN DIEGO (AP) — Two San Diego police officers were shot — one fatally — after a late-night stop turned into a gunfight, triggering a manhunt that led to the capture of one wounded suspect in a ravine and an hours-long SWAT standoff Friday that ended after officers detained a second man who may have been involved.

The shooting came as departments around the country are on high alert following the killing of officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, this month. San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said it was unknown whether the San Diego attack was premeditated.

The chain of events unfolded over more than 12 hours in a blue-collar area of southeastern San Diego with modest single-story homes and streets lined with palm trees.

It started about 11 p.m. Thursday when two veteran gang unit officers in bulletproof vests stopped a person on a street. Almost immediately a shootout ensued and the officers called for backup.

Authorities initially said the officers made a traffic stop involving a motorist, but clarified later that they were still trying to determine whether it was a traffic stop or a stop to check out a pedestrian.

"It happened extremely quickly," Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said. "From the information that was put out that a stop was being made to that the officers called for emergency cover to when the other officers arrived on scene, we're talking very, very quickly. Seconds to a minute or so."

Jonathan DeGuzman, a 16-year veteran of the force who was married with two children, suffered multiple gunshot wounds. The 43-year-old died at Scripps Mercy Hospital after doctors' efforts to save him failed.

Wade Irwin, 32, underwent surgery after being shot and was expected to survive, Zimmerman said. His wife was at his side during surgery.

Police swarmed the neighborhood where the shootout happened and quickly captured 52-year-old Jesse Gomez in a nearby ravine, Zimmerman said. He was in critical condition Friday with a gunshot wound but was expected to survive. Police gave no further information about Gomez or his role in the shootout except to say he was a suspect.

During the search for a second man described as a "potential" suspect, residents were ordered to stay in their homes throughout the night as San Diego police and officers from other law enforcement agencies scoured yards, streets and alleys. A helicopter hovered over the neighborhood.

About nine hours after the shootout, heavily armed officers surrounded a house about a half-mile (about 1 kilometer) away, one of them using a loudspeaker to urge a man to surrender. Authorities also detonated several devices at the scene to draw him out and used tools to break windows and pound on the roof.

Then, about a dozen heavily armed SWAT officers raced another house about two blocks away, positioning an armored truck and robots outside. The possible suspect wasn't there either.

Zimmerman said late Friday afternoon that officers arrested a man on an unrelated warrant outside the first home surrounded by SWAT officers.

She said police were investigating to see whether 41-year-old Marcus Antonio Cassani had any role in the police shootings.

After visiting Irwin at UC San Diego Medical Center early Friday, Zimmerman told reporters that the officer's prospects for recovery were good. The nine-year veteran of the force had just joined the gang unit in June.

"It's a little bit of a long haul until he makes a full recovery, but the good news is that he is going to survive and he is going to recover," she said.

Earlier, Zimmerman told reporters she knew DeGuzman well.

"I can tell you he is a loving, caring husband, father. Talked about his family all the time," Zimmerman said. "I know him, and this is gut-wrenching. He cared. He came to work every single day wanting to just make a positive difference in the lives of our community and that's why he lost his life."

DeGuzman received the purple heart in 2003 after he was stabbed by a man he had stopped for speeding. The man was convicted of attempted murder on a peace officer in 2004.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer denounced the shootings.

"I ask all San Diegans and all people across our nation to join together in support of our officers who courageously protect our communities," he said. "We need them and they need us."

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-07-30

[Boon Mee]

America and Europe are becoming unraveled...

[Pimay1]

America and Europe are becoming unraveled...

Unfortunately due to the leadership or should I say lack of leadership of both America and Europe that is to be expected. The lunatics are now running the asylum.

[mtls2005]

Unfortunately due to the leadership or should I say lack of leadership of both America and Europe that is to be expected. The lunatics are now running the asylum.

Now?

Police shot and killed on duty during two-term presidencies:

Reagan: 576

Clinton: 528

Bush II: 405

Obama: 314

[Ralf61]

Such incidents seem to be daily routine for ages. Why is this suddenly news over the last while?

[mtls2005]

Why is this suddenly news over the last while?

Suspect it's a result of creating the perception of fear, as fear makes people believe in their "feelings" rather than facts, and as a result do stoopid things.

Black people, ISIS, Muslims, minorities, Mexicans are coming to get you, I've heard, and we just don't know what's going on, so let's cower in our bunker and wait for America to be great again.

Violent crime has been on a precipitously downward trend for ~ 30 years, but that fact can't be used to scare old, poorly educated, disenfranchised white men.

And we've got more black people under the purview of the justice system (jail, prison, charged, bail, parole) than were subject to slavery, so not sure why they're so frightened?

[Baerboxer]

America and Europe are becoming unraveled...

Unfortunately due to the leadership or should I say lack of leadership of both America and Europe that is to be expected. The lunatics are now running the asylum.

At least in the US citizens still have the right to bear arms and protect their families and sanctity of their homes (until Hilary gets the chance to screw that). European "leaders" have slowly removed those rights from their citizens.

Worse still they have then facilitated a situation where criminals and fanatics can easily prey on the same citizens and done their best to neuter law enforcement,

Lunatics indeed, but ones who richly reward themselves for their own political insanity and ensure their own safety and security at any cost.

[mesterm]

America and Europe are becoming unraveled...

Unfortunately due to the leadership or should I say lack of leadership of both America and Europe that is to be expected. The lunatics are now running the asylum.

Not sure if you'd get the notification since the other person didn't use the quote function, but here's sharing it again so you can compare the various asylum keepers.

Police shot and killed on duty during two-term presidencies:

Reagan: 576

Clinton: 528

Bush II: 405

Obama: 314

[mtls2005]

At least in the US citizens still have the right to bear arms and protect their families and sanctity of their homes

Hear, hear.

Two-thirds of the annual gun deaths in the U.S. are suicides; a sort of self-inflicted form of gun control.

/irony

[oxo1947]

1,823..............the UK police have had about 14 shot in that period.

.

But I'm not going to start a gun debate..............

[Estrada]

This month, July 2016, there have already been 43 mass shootings with 28 people killed and 209 injured. So far this year the total is 211 mass shootings with 8,017 deaths and 16,709 injured. In the UK there have been no mass shootings since 2010 and that is because of strict gun control. Similarly, in Germany, strict gun control was introduced in 2009 and guns are being removed from possession resulting in very few mass shootings in Germany until the case of the German School kid who became obsessed with the many school shootings in the US made possible because of almost non-existent gun control and the Anders Brevick mass shooting in Norway. There has been a huge focus by the American Media on the few shootings in Europe whilst very little on the 211 mass shootings in the US this year. One can only assume that the US arms industry wants to overturn European and Australian gun laws to create and assault weapon sales bonanza.

[ClutchClark]

And we've got more black people under the purview of the justice system (jail, prison, charged, bail, parole) than were subject to slavery, so not sure why they're so frightened?

Are there other members of the forum like yourself that apparently do not realize that the population of the US and the population of the black community has increased significantly since the days of slavery?

What are you attempting to say with this comaprison?

Edited July 30, 2016 by ClutchClark