Whittier, a suburb of Los Angeles County, was the location of a deadly police shooting on Monday. At least one officer was killed, while another was seriously wounded during the shootout. The suspect was wounded before being apprehended, ending the harrowing incident.
Deadly incident
The incident started shortly after 8:00 AM local time on Monday morning. A traffic accident was reported near Colima Road and Mar Vista Street, which the Whittier police force responded to promptly. When they approached the vehicle they were looking for, they came under fire from the suspect.
The police returned fire, eventually wounding the suspect. This did not happen before one of the police officers was killed, though.
The slain officer, whose name was not immediately released in the aftermath of the incident, was pronounced dead at UCI Medical Center. The offer officer and the suspect were also transported to a hospital. The officer was listed in guarded condition, while the condition of the suspect was not immediately known. Following the shootout, the West Covina Police Chief asked for prayers for the Whittier police force and those affected by the incident.
Shock to the city
After the pronouncement of the deceased officer, prayers immediately came in from across the country.
The city immediately decided to conduct a formal procession from the hospital to the coroner's office to honor the live of the slain police officer. The streets of Whittier were lined with people as they paid their last respects to an officer none of them knew.
The shootout is sure to spark questions, both in Whittier and across the nation.
The suspect was reportedly being patted down when he decided to open fire on the police, according to a local ABC affiliate. He was a known gang member who was only placed on parole a few weeks ago. This will raise two major countries for anyone following the story: how does a country combat gang violence and how should the prison system work to keep the violent criminals in jail while giving the nonviolent criminals a chance?
