by mackreed
SWAT veteran, 4 others killed in shootout
February 7, 2008 at 10:24 am in News
An LAPD SWAT officer was killed and another badly hurt early this morning during a shootout with man who had killed three members of his family and blockaded himself inside a house in Winnetka, the LAPD blog says.
Officer Randal Simmons, the first SWAT officer killed in the line of duty in the unit’s nearly 40-year history – was 50 years old and the father of two. Not much info yet on the shooter and the other three victims …
The shootout followed a 3-1/2-hour standoff that began when the man – still unidentified – called 911 to say he had killed three relatives. He was found dead inside 12 hours later when the siege ended, the Times reports.
What is it with this country’s propensity for suicide preceded by multiple murders? Shocking, awful and sad. If you’re going to end your life or you want to end someone else’s (and nobody should, really) get some help. If you’ve decided you’re still unsaveable, at least take it somewhere private and leave the rest of us out of it.
More details forthcoming, to be sure.
UPDATE: Suspect, killed by a police sniper, is identified by the Daily News:
Edwin Rivera, 21, was identified as the shooter by two LAPD sources. He was described by one source as about 6 feet tall and about 300 pounds. He had two weapons, a shotgun and a handgun, LAPD Chief William Bratton said at a noon news conference.He killed his father, Gerardo Rivera, and two older brothers, Andy and Edgar, relatives said.
AdvertisementThere might have been one more person killed, but that remains unclear, Bratton said.
A woman who eventually left the house alive was Rivera’s step-mother, said a cousin, Alex Uribe. The father and brothers worked for a trucking company. His father was a Salvadoran immigrant.
The incident began about 9 p.m. when Rivera called police to say he had killed three family members. It is unclear what led to the incident, or why the other three men were killed inside the house.
A police dispatcher late Wednesday night was overheard saying Rivera told police, “Come get me.”
McDonnell said SWAT officers entered the residence shortly after 12:30 a.m., triggering an exchange of gunfire in which Simmons and Veenstra were shot.
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