LONG BEACH, Calif. – A man suspected of shooting two police officers during a traffic stop was killed in a wild shootout with police in a strip mall parking lot, authorities said Thursday.
More than 50 shots were fired between Santa Ana police officers and 33-year-old Oscar Gabriel Gallegos on Wednesday, Santa Ana Police Chief Paul Walters said.
Gallegos was a suspect in the Dec. 22 shootings of two Long Beach officers during a traffic stop.
Santa Ana officers went to confront a man believed to be Gallegos, Long Beach Officer Jason Evans said. "As soon as he sees the car with the officers, he starts shooting," Walters said.
The officers got out of their car, took cover and returned fire, police said. Three officers shot at Gallegos, who was hit several times.
Gallegos continued to fire on officers even after he was shot, Walters said. He died of his wounds in the parking lot, police said.
Gallegos was an illegal immigrant who had been deported three times and had a criminal record dating back to 1990, including arrests for drug offenses and assault with a deadly weapon, authorities said.
Officers Abe Yap, 35, and Roy Wade, 39, were shot in their squad car after stopping a car for running a red light. Both are hospitalized in critical but stable condition, Long Beach Police Chief Anthony Batts said.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox