WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge, Louisiana News, Weather, Sports
An innocent bystander was killed by sheriffs deputies on Saturday during a hostage situation and standoff in Pico Rivera, California, local media reports.
Los Angeles County Sheriffs deputies were pursuing Cedric Ramirez, 24, who was wanted on two felony warrants, when the suspect ran into a home occupied by Frank and Lorraine Mendoza.
While on the premises, Ramirez began opening fire on the deputies, who fired back. During the exchange of gunfire, Frank Mendoza, 54, was fatally wounded.
“I seen it all,” said Frank Mendoza Jr., the victim’s son. “I got my kids out. I was trying to get my parents. My dad walked out and, you know, the deputy shot him.”
“He was trying to walk out,” Frank Jr. continued. “There was no running out of him. He was nonchalant. He had no rush. He just knew he had to get out the house, and the cop shot him.”
Ramirez was also shot dead during the melee.
As for how deputies responded to the situation, Lt. John Corina of the Sheriff’s Department said they tried to cut a deal with Ramirez during the 8-hour hostage negotiation.
“They tried to negotiate with the suspect to come out. He wouldn’t come out,” Corina said. “They ultimately, hours later, made entry into the location, and that’s when the PD-involved shooting occurred, and they killed the suspect.”
An 8 hour hostage negotiation? The officers knew there were others in there? Why so trigger happy? Was the officer behind cover? If he was there was no reason to even mistakenly shoot the man. Officers had to have had time to set up, the deputy must have had cover. If you have cover, you are not in a position where you have to make a hasty decision to shoot or not.
Why so trigger happy?
Is that a rhetorical question? This is in Los Angeles County.
When I lived there I called the LACSD about a guy who came into my house and tried to rob me. He fired a shot at me and missed. While I was busy in hand-to-hand defense my girlfriend got a gun from another room. When I made a break for the hallway she fired and it went a few inches over his head. This was before 911 was instituted, 1980. I called the first number of two listed and they told me to call the other station because that wasn’t their territory. He fired another round at the house while I was talking to them. They weren’t interested. I called the other station and they got there in about 15-20 minutes. All one cop was interested in was to trade his Model 27 for my Model 29. I lost nearly all the respect I had left for the LACSD.