Law enforcement personnel from several jurisdictions patrol Spring Street in downtown Paso Robles, Calif., as law enforcement agencies responded to an early morning shooting in the Central Coast city after a sheriff s deputy was wounded early Wednesday, June 10, 2020. (David Middlecamp/The Tribune of San Luis Obispo via AP)
LOS ANGELES — A California sheriff's deputy was shot in the head but survived an "ambush" by a gunman intent on harming or killing police and authorities said Wednesday they were investigating whether there was a connection to two recent deadly attacks on officers.
Authorities were looking for Mason James Lira, 26, a transient from the Monterey area of the Central Coast, and he was considered armed and dangerous, the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office said in an announcement late Wednesday night.
After wounding the San Luis Obispo County deputy in the small city of Paso Robles, police believe the shooter killed a transient and then eluded an intense manhunt. Police sought the public's help and released photos from surveillance video showing the suspect — a young dark-haired, bearded man.
The shooter opened fire around 3:45 a.m. on the back side of the police station in Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson said. Officers were inside at the time and windows and a door were shot out but no one was injured.
A dispatcher monitoring security cameras saw the attack unfold and called for help.
The deputy was struck while responding and his partner dragged him to safety and returned fire, Parkinson said. The wounded deputy was in serious but stable condition with a bullet lodged in his head, he said.
"We feel that this was an ambush, that he planned it, that he intended for officers to come out of the police department and to assault them," Parkinson said.
While searching for the suspect investigators found the body of a man near railroad tracks several blocks away. The 58-year-old, unidentified transient was shot once at close range in the back of the head, police said.
Paso Robles is an unlikely spot for such violence. The bustling community 175 miles (282 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles is a tourist destination and centerpiece of the wine industry on California's Central Coast.
The violence came just five days after another unlikely location, the community of Ben Lomond in Santa Cruz County farther north on the California coast, was the scene of an ambush on police.
Santa Cruz sheriff's Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, 38, was killed and another deputy injured Saturday in an attack allegedly carried out by an Air Force sergeant armed with homemade bombs, an AR-15 rifle and other weapons. Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart said the suspect, Steven Carrillo, was intent on killing officers.
The FBI is investigating whether Carrillo, 32, has links to the killing of a federal security officer who was shot outside the U.S. courthouse in Oakland during a protest against police brutality on May 29.
The FBI also is assisting the San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles departments with their investigation of the shooting that left the two-year deputy in serious condition.
This still image taken from a surveillance camera and provided by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff s Office seeking the public s assistance in finding a suspect believed to be responsible for a shooting that took place in Paso Robles in the morning on Wednesday, June 10, 2020. (San Luis Obispo County Sheriff s Office via AP)
"He's not out of the woods, as the doctors have explained to me," Parkinson said.
He said there's no clear link between the latest shooting and the other two but that over time the investigation could lead there.
The deputy, who was not identified, and his partner heard gunfire as they approached the station and got out of the car to search but didn't see the suspect "until they started taking fire," Parkinson said.
The deputy's partner managed to get him to safety behind a patrol car. The wounded deputy was conscious and managed to radio that he'd been shot.
Parkinson said there was no local event or imminent arrest that might have prompted the violence. He also said investigators didn't know if the attack was connected to anger swelling nationwide at police over the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis officers. He called Floyd's death unjust and horrific.
"You see what's happening nationally, you see the riots, you see the looting, you see the acts of violence occurring … there's naturally fear as a result of that," he said. "So trying to calm the community has been our goal."
The actions — or more notably, the inaction — of a school district police chief and other law enforcement officers moved swiftly to the center of the investigation into this week's shocking school shooting in Uvalde, Texas,
The delay in confronting the shooter — who was inside the school for more than an hour — could lead to discipline, lawsuits and even criminal charges against police.
FALMOUTH, MA – The police in Falmouth have identified the victim in an accident involving a car plunging into the ocean on February 20, NBC10 Boston reported.
PHILADELPHIA – The Federation of Hellenic Societies of Philadelphia and Greater Delaware Valley announced that the Evzones, the Presidential Guard of Greece will be participating in the Philadelphia Greek Independence Day Parade on March 20.
This past Easter season, this great feast, Pascha for Greek Orthodox Christianity and Passover for Judaism, found us during Holy Week in the Holy Land, at the Gate of Worship.
Sign up for a subscription
Want to save this article? Get a subscription to access this feature and more!
To purchase a gift subscription, please log out of your account, and purchase the subscription with a new email ID.
On April 2, 2021, we celebrated The National Herald’s 106th Anniversary. Help us maintain our independent journalism and continue serving Hellenism worldwide.
In order to deliver a more personalized, responsive, and improved experience, we use cookies to remember information about how you use this site. By Continuing to access the website, you agree that we will store data in a cookie as outlined in our Privacy Policy.
We use cookies on our site to personalize your experience, bring you the most relevant content, show you the most useful ads, and to help report any issues with our site. You can update your preferences at any time by visiting preferences. By selecting Accept, you consent to our use of cookies. To learn more about how your data is used, visit our cookie policy.
You’re reading 1 of 3 free articles this month. Get unlimited access to The National Herald. or Log In
You’ve reached your limit of free articles for this month. Get unlimited access to the best in independent Greek journalism starting as low as $1/week.