Suspect who Ambushed Police Officers and Killed a Man Fatally Shot After 2-day Manhunt
The San Luis Obispo County Sherrif's office announced authorities fatally shot a 26-year-old man who opened fire on multiple law enforcement officers and killed a homeless man on Wednesday.
Mason James Lira, the suspect, began shooting outside the Paso Robles Police Department around 3:45 AM on Wednesday. Nicholas Dreyfus, a California deputy who responded to a call for shots fired, was hit in the head. He was airlifted to the hospital and is in serious but stable condition, CNN reported.
The suspect shot a 58-year-old homeless man in close range at the back of the head near an Amtrak station before he evaded capture, ensuing in a two-day chase.
According to Sheriff Ian Parkinson, the suspect used military-type tactics and moved with precision. "We feel that this was an ambush that he planned," Parkinson said. "He intended for officers to come out of the police department and to assault them."
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Last week, a California man ambushed and killed a Santa Cruz County deputy, critically injured another official, and threw pipe bombs at law enforcement officers, NBC News said.
Sergeant Damon Gutzwiller, the victim, and another deputy responded to a call that claimed there were guns and bomb-making materials inside a white van parked near Jamison Creek. When they tracked it to a home in Ben Lemond, Carillo came out, opened fire, and threw improvised explosive devices at the officers. The attack killed Gutzwiller and injured another deputy who was struck by shrapnel.
The suspect, who was identified as Steven Carillo, allegedly scrawled the phrases "boog" and "I became unreasonable" on the hood of a vehicle before he was found and arrested by other officers. The word "boog" is associated to a far-right extremist movement that aims to start a second American civil war.
The phrase "I became unreasonable" is a reference to a quote written by infamous anti-government extremist Marvin Heemeyer. The fanatic was known for bulldozing 13 buildings in Colorado over zoning disputes on June 4, 2004. Heemeyer killed himself after his rampage, earning himself the nickname Killdozer among online extremist groups.
Steven Carillo was an Air Force staff who completed an elite security training, including explosive ordnance awareness. He was also confirmed to be a team leader of the "Phoenix Raven." He was stationed at Travis since 2018 as a member of the 60th Security Forces Squadron, CBS Local reports.
The FBI is now investigating whether Carillo has a connection to the slaying of a Federal Security officer named Dave Patrick Underwood who was killed in Oakland on May 29.
In an article published by the USA Today, the federal law enforcement officer was shot dead while providing security at a courthouse in Oakland during a protest. Another officer was injured in a drive-by shooting that occurred outside a federal building.
Investigators found Carillo owned a white van that resembled what was seen in Underwood's shooting.
Carillo's Facebook most featured support for a libertarian presidential candidate and pro-gun movements. His profile has since been removed from the social media platform. Carillo would be charged with first-degree murder.
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