Paso Robles police say shooting suspect Mason James Lira is dead and several officers injured. This comes shortly after multiple shots could be heard coming from the Salinas Riverbed.
It was happening near the Target shopping center and Chili's restaurant near Ramada Dr. and Hwy 46 West.
Officials said the suspect from the standoff is "down" but several officers have been hit and wounded.
Video showed the suspect Mason Lira entering a gas station at about 2 a.m. Thursday morning. The store clerk said he recognized Lira and described him as being sweaty, exhausted and mumbling to himself. The clerk called 9-1-1 after Lira left.
Sheriff Parkinson today said a homicide investigation will continue as well as the officer-involved shooting.
Officers found Lira with handguns, believed to have been stolen from a commercial burglary in the City of San Luis Obispo a few days before the shooting on June 10th.
The officers wounded today are employed by the California Highway Patrol, Arroyo Grande Police Department and Kings County Sheriff’s Office.
The officers transported to local area hospitals are in good condition with non-life-threatening injuries.
The San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office was getting help in the search for Lira from the FBI, Tulare and Kings county officials. The Kern County Sheriff's Office told 23ABC that it received a mutual aid request from San Luis Obispo and sent around 10 deputies along with help from the air support unit.
#PRactiveshooter Update 6/11/2020 4:30 PM: The suspect is down, multiple officer's injured. More information to follow.
— SLO County Sheriff (@SLOSheriff) June 11, 2020
The SLO County deputy who was wounded has been identified as 28-year-old Nicholas Dreyfus. He is said to be in guarded condition.
Dreyfus has been a deputy in SLO County for nearly two years and is assigned to the North County Sheriff's Station in Templeton.
Sheriff Parkinson today said a homicide investigation will continue as well as the officer-involved shooting.
Parkinson believes this shooting was an attempted ambush on law enforcement.
However, the motive is unclear.
This is still a developing situation, officials say more information about the situation will be released shortly.
