LAPD SWAT Officer Killed during Standoff

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House burns after SWAT officer killed during standoff

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- A man barricaded himself in a house after telling police he had killed three relatives, then exchanged gunfire with a SWAT team, police said Thursday. One officer was killed and another wounded.

After a shootout, the man apparently remained inside the home, which was on fire some 10 hours after he called police saying he killed three people.

The standoff began at 9 p.m. Wednesday and continued into Thursday morning as the home was surrounded by more than 200 officers.

The officers were shot inside the home shortly after they arrived, Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell said at a news conference. Watch police cars swarm around home »

Authorities had not been able to determine whether the man had killed his family members.

Shortly before 6 a.m., police lobbed tear gas into the home. Wind blew the gas back toward some officers, who retreated from the cloud.

Police could be seen in footage from a television helicopter using a battering ram to break into the home.

Both officers were taken to Northridge Medical Center, where one of them, 51-year-old Randal Simmons, died just after 1 a.m., McDonnell said.

The other, 51-year-old James Veenstra, was undergoing surgery, and was expected to survive, McDonnell said.

Several blocks of the San Fernando Valley neighborhood were sealed off with yellow crime tape. A police helicopter circled overhead, its searchlight on.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said he had visited with the family of the officer who was killed. Simmons leaves a wife and two children. Veenstra's wife is a captain on the force.

"This is a very horrible tragedy and our hearts go out to all the members of the LAPD who also are grieving at this time," Villaraigosa said.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

RIP Officer and condolences to your family....

[dmclark]

As of 20 minutes ago, the perps residence was on fire. They don't know cause, but they did let loose tear gas rounds about an hour ago. First SWAT officer in LAPD to be killed in line of duty since their formation in 1967. Both officers each had over 20 years on the job.

They'll be reviewing this one for some time. RIP.

[kennethm3]

A little more detail coming out.

LAPD SWAT Officer Killed in Shootout

An officer of the LAPD SWAT team was killed early this morning and another wounded in a fierce gun battle with a barricaded man. The gunman was killed by a SWAT sniper.

The bodies of three males whom police believe were relatives of the alleged gunman were also found in the home.

The incident began about 9 p.m. Wednesday after a man called a 911 operator and said he had killed three people at a home in the San Fernando Valley. LAPD patrol officers and LAPD SWAT responded, setting up containment on the home.

At about midnight, a decision was made to enter the home. Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell told the Los Angeles Times that SWAT made the entry after officers on the scene became concerned that there might be people in distress inside the home.

SWAT breached the door and a fierce gunfight ensued. Officer Randal Simmons, a veteran SWAT officer, was shot in the head and mortally wounded as the team made the entry. Officer James Veenstra was hit in the jaw during the same gunfight.

Simmons and Veenstra were rushed to a nearby hospital where Simmons died just after 1 a.m. Veenstra is expected to survive. Doctors told the Times that his prognosis is “very good” after a three-hour operation to save his life. They also told the paper that the officer faces more surgery.

Long after Simmons and Veenstra arrived at the hospital, their teammates were still at the scene. Tear gas was fired into the home around 5 a.m. Choking from the tear gas, a woman ran from the home. Police say they believe she was a victim. She was rescued and questioned.

Some time after the gas was introduced into the home, it burst into flames. The fire flushed the suspect who reportedly came out of the door about 7:30 a.m. firing his weapon. He was killed by a SWAT sniper.

We made every effort to reach out to the suspect," Deputy Chief Mike Moore, who served as the incident commander during the standoff, told Fox News. "Unfortunately, the suspect had no contact with us and showed no effort to surrender."

Simmons leaves behind a wife and a teenage son and daughter. He spent some of his off-duty hours mentoring youth in South Los Angeles. Born and raised in New York, he played football at Washington State University and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys. An injury ended his football career, and he joined the LAPD in 1981.

Officer Veenstra is the husband of LAPD Capt. Michelle Veenstra. His recovery is expected to take months.

Simmons is the first LAPD SWAT officer ever to be killed by a violent act. The team suffered its first death in 2000 when Officer Louis Villalobos was killed in a training accident.

[bike123]

Very tragic, RIP.

[dforeigner]

Indeed, RIP.