Dec 28, 2006 5:47 pm US/Pacific
Suspect Wanted For Shooting 2 Cops Shot, Killed
LONG BEACH, Calif. (CBS) ―
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Long Beach police confirmed Gallegos was shot and killed by Santa Ana police.
CBS
The man killed in a shootout with Santa Ana police was positively identified Thursday as the suspect in the shooting of two Long Beach police officers.
Long Beach police confirmed that Oscar Gabriel Gallegos, 33, was shot and killed by Santa Ana police about 5 p.m. Wednesday in the 200 block of East Warner Avenue.
Gallegos had been the target of a manhunt that began when two Long Beach officers were shot and critically wounded Friday.
Officers Roy Wade, 39, and Abe Yap, 37, were shot during a traffic stop involving a Nissan Pathfinder whose driver ran a red light at Long Beach Boulevard and Sixth Street, Long Beach police Chief Anthony Batts said. The driver got out and shot the officers while they were still sitting in the squad car.
Yap was shot in the face, but the bullet missed his brain and his prognosis is reported to be good. Wade, who was just three weeks out of the police academy, was shot in the chest and neck. Neither officer returned fire.
After the shooting, the Pathfinder sped off, its driver exchanging gunfire with other police officers at Long Beach Boulevard and Broadway, said Long Beach police Officer Jason Evans. No one was wounded in that clash, and the gunman escaped.
At the request of Long Beach police, Santa Ana officers went to the parking lot of a strip mall Wednesday and saw a Toyota Camry carrying a man believed to be Gallegos. The man got out of the vehicle and opened fire on the officers, said Santa Ana police Sgt. Lorenzo Carrillo.
Three officers -- none of whom were injured -- shot back, hitting the suspect multiple times and fatally wounding him, Carrillo said.
Police believed the man was Gallegos, but were unable to confirm his identity until an autopsy was conducted.
Before Wednesday's shootout, Long Beach police and city officials announced a $75,000 reward for information leading to Gallegos' arrest.
Batts called Gallegos a "known thug" with a rap sheet dating back to 1990, when he was arrested for a firearms violation. He has also been arrested for drug offenses, making terrorist threats and assault with a deadly weapon.
He has also been deported three times.
Anyone interested in making a donation to aid the officers and their families can send them to: Widows and Orphans Fund, Long Beach Police Officers Association, 2865 Temple Ave., Long Beach, Calif. 90755.
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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