California police sergeant ‘ambushed’ by gunman linked to homicide: Officials

(FRESNO, Calif.) — A Central California police sergeant was in a hospital recovering from bullet wounds Monday after he was “ambushed” over the weekend by a gunman who was killed in a subsequent shoot-out and later linked to a homicide victim found inside a residence, authorities said.

The shooting unfolded on Saturday in Fresno after the sergeant and two patrol officers were dispatched to investigate a ShotSpotter gunshot detection call at about 5:23 p.m., according to Fresno Interim Police Chief Mindy Castro.

Castro said the sergeant, a 21-year veteran of the Fresno Police Department, and the other officers had spent about an hour searching for evidence of a shooting in the neighborhood east of downtown Fresno when the ambush occurred. She said the suspect wielding an AR-style pistol drove by in a car and, without warning, opened fire on the sergeant who at the time was sitting in a parked patrol vehicle working on his computer.

“A Fresno police sergeant was ambushed here tonight,” Castro said as she began a news conference near the shooting scene.

Castro said two other officers were standing in the street searching for shell casings when gunfire erupted.

“The sergeant was in his car when the suspect returned completely unexpectedly and began firing shots at the sergeant,” said Castro, adding that the sergeant’s patrol car was riddled with bullets.

Castro said the sergeant, whose name was not released, suffered bullet wounds to his lower extremities.

The gunman, whose name was also not released, attempted to flee the scene, but crashed about a block away, Castro said.

Despite being wounded, the sergeant and the other officers chased the suspect and ended up in a shoot-out with him after the gunman got out of his wrecked car and opened fire on the officers, Castro said.

A Ring doorbell camera video from a residence obtained by ABC Fresno station KFSN captured what sounded like a dozen shots fired in the incident.

Castro said that after the suspect was shot and fell to the ground, the injured sergeant collapsed and radioed for an ambulance for them both.

The suspect was later pronounced dead at a hospital, Castro said.

A statement posted on the police department’s Facebook page Sunday evening said the sergeant remained in the hospital in stable condition.

Castro said she viewed the sergeant’s body camera video and described the sergeant’s and the other officers’ actions in engaging the suspect as a “picture of courageousness and calm.”

Before the gunfight, police obtained surveillance video that captured the suspect holding a gun as he exited a house near the shooting scene and got into a car matching the one involved in the ambush, Castro said.

Following the shooting, officers went to the house seen in the security video, forced their way in and discovered a homicide victim inside, Castro said.

Castro said it remains under investigation whether the ShotSpotter activation that initially drew the officers to the scene was caused by the shooting inside the residence.

“We’re still working to investigate that crime as well as the ambush shooting of one of our officers,” Castro said.

The identity of the homicide victim was pending an autopsy.