Two El Monte Police Officers Fatally Shot in Line of Duty in Southern California

Two El Monte Police Officers Fatally Shot in Line of Duty in Southern California
Police cars in a parking lot near El Monte Police Department in El Monte, Calif., in February 2021. Google Maps/Screenshot via The Epoch Times
Caden Pearson
Updated:
0:00

Two El Monte police officers were killed in the line of duty on Tuesday night, along with the suspect, after responding to a possible stabbing in the Southern California city.

The officers responded to a possible stabbing at the Siesta Inn where they immediately took gunfire upon arrival, El Monte police said in a statement. The shooting happened around 5:10 p.m., KTLA reported.

“The city of El Monte is saddened and shocked by tonight’s tragic shooting that killed two of our own police officers,” police said.

Both officers were transported to LAC-USC Medical Center but died from their injuries. KTLA reported that one of the officers was a 22-year police veteran and the other had been on the force for about a year.

The city, police department, and police officers association expressed their sadness in a joint statement.

“There are no words to describe our grief and devastation by this senseless act as we learned about the passing of two of our police officers,” the joint statement reads.

“It weighs heavy on our hearts and we are sending our supports to their families. We would also like to thank the El Monte community and our surrounding government agencies for the outpouring support we have received in the last few hours.”

Police said the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) had taken over the investigation and El Monte police were actively participating in the investigation.

The unidentified male suspect was also killed during the exchange of gunfire, LASD said.

During a press conference on Tuesday night, Ben Lowry, the El Monte police captain and acting department chief, described the officer as “heroes” and said they were “murdered by a coward.”

Fellow officers reportedly drove a procession along the 10 Freeway to the hospital where their two officers were pronounced dead.

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