Homicide suspect ID'd in ambush of California police sergeant
A Central California police sergeant was in a hospital recovering from bullet wounds Tuesday after he was "ambushed" over the weekend by a gunman who was killed in a subsequent shoot-out and later linked to the homicide of his childhood friend, authorities said.
The shooting unfolded on Saturday in Fresno after the sergeant and two patrol officers were dispatched to investigate a ShotSpotter gunshot detection call at about 5:23 p.m., according to Fresno Interim Police Chief Mindy Castro.
During a news conference Monday, Castro identified the suspect as 40-year-old Andy Morales, whom she described as a gang member with convictions for assault with a deadly weapon and multiple arrests for domestic violence and weapons charges.
Castro said the sergeant, a 21-year veteran of the Fresno Police Department, and the other officers had spent about an hour searching for evidence of a shooting in the neighborhood east of downtown Fresno when the "ambush" occurred. She said the suspect wielding an AR-style pistol drove by in a car and, without warning, opened fire on the sergeant who at the time was sitting in a parked patrol vehicle working on his computer.
Castro said gunshots from the high-caliber weapon penetrated the sergeant's door, striking him multiple times. She said the sergeant, whose name has not been released, suffered bullet wounds to both legs but had the "presence of mind" to activate his body camera, pursue the suspect and engage in what she described as a "gunbattle" in which numerous shots were traded.
Castro said that after ambushing the sergeant, Morales attempted to flee but his car spun out and he abandoned the vehicle, immediately started firing at the sergeant again.
"There was 49 seconds of a gun battle between just the suspect Morales and the sergeant," Castro said.
Two other police officers raced to the scene and opened fire on the suspect. Castro said Morales was shot at least seven times and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Castro said that during the gunfight, the suspect kept repositioning himself, going to the ground, standing up and finding cover while firing numerous shots at the sergeant and the other officers who engaged him.
Castro said Morales was shot at least seven times and was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
Castro said that after the suspect was shot and fell to the ground, the injured sergeant collapsed and radioed for an ambulance for them both.
Castro said she viewed the sergeant's body camera video and described the sergeant's and the other officers' actions in engaging the suspect as a "picture of courageousness and calm."
Before the gunfight, police obtained surveillance video that captured the suspect holding a gun as he exited a house near the shooting scene and got into a car matching the one involved in the ambush, Castro said.
Following the shooting, officers went to the house seen in the security video, forced their way in and discovered a homicide victim inside, Castro said.
Castro said the ShotSpotter activation that initially drew the sergeant and other officers to the scene was caused by the shooting inside the residence.
The homicide victim was identified by police as 43-year-old Mario Ternora of Fresno. She said Ternora died from gunshot and stab wounds.
Ternora and Morales, according to Castro, had been friends since childhood.
"We really don't know what the conflict was on this particular day that resulted in Mario's murder at the hands of Andy," Castro said.
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, the former Fresno police chief, described the sergeant's actions as a "heroic act of bravery."
"When you consider the number of rounds that were fired from close proximity and the number of rounds that struck that patrol car and the rounds that ultimately struck this sergeant in both of his legs, we’re very very fortunate we’re not here today talking about the death of a police officer," Dyer said on Monday.
