![]() Mayra Lomeli, 49, heard three shots and dived under a table at El Perico Market, a block from the Siesta Inn. Hernandez believed it to be a suspect and not an officer “because I didn’t see a uniform.” He saw a body lying on the pavement near the intersection of Central and Garvey avenues. The Siesta Inn, where the shooting took place, is about 50 yards from his home. He then ran outside his gate to see what had happened. Hernandez rushed his two children, both younger than 10, from the living room to a bedroom. I would guess there were at least 20 shots,” Hernandez said. “At first it was about six shots that you could hear and then a spraying of at least a dozen. Juan Hernandez, who lives near the hotel, said he heard gunfire shortly after 4:30 p.m. Records show Flores had been arrested many times for low-level crimes - theft, driving violations and drug possession - but nothing that approached the degree of violence that left two police officers dead Tuesday night. In 2011, he was sent back to prison for burglary and was released after 10 months. A photograph kept by the state prison system shows he had the word “Quiet” tattooed on his right cheek.įlores first went to prison at 22 for stealing a car, spending two months behind bars in 2009, records show. Law enforcement sources said Flores was a member of Quiet Village, a gang based in Whittier. “I want them to know, in spite of what happened, he was loving and caring.” She said the officers kept calling her son a “coward.” Flores also had a 7-year-old daughter with his ex-girlfriend, Leona Willard.Ĭovarrubias said she was detained for several hours, even though she was not at the motel when the shooting took place. Flores had the daughter with his ex-girlfriend.įlores and his wife were separated, and he would often stay at the Siesta Inn, Covarrubias said. JA previous version of this story said Justin Flores and his wife had a 7-year-old daughter. You can save him,’” said Covarrubias, 54.ħ:13 p.m. “Even the pictures they showed me of my son lying on the ground, I just thought, ‘Take him to the hospital. They were murdered by a coward.”įlores’ mother, Lynn Covarrubias, said her son’s wife called Tuesday and told her he was dead, but she didn’t believe it. “These two heroes paid the ultimate sacrifice today. Ben Lowry, the El Monte Police Department’s acting chief, said Tuesday night. The mayor said a memorial fund and funeral service details will be released later in the week. “They grew up here to us, they’re El Monte homegrown,” Ancona said. He’s survived by his wife, daughter and twin boys. Before joining law enforcement, he worked as a maintenance worker for the city of El Monte for six years and graduated from El Monte High School. Santana served for three years as a San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy before transferring to the El Monte Police Department less than a year ago. The shooting occurred near Central and Garvey avenues in El Monte, authorities said. Ancona described him as a nearly 22-year veteran “who went through our El Monte schools” and who was “excited to be on the force.”Ĭalifornia Killing of two El Monte police officers in shooting stuns city: ‘They were good men’ He is survived by his wife, daughter and son. Paredes started as a cadet with the department and in July 2000 was sworn in as a full-time officer. “We don’t have all the facts yet,” he said Tuesday night, standing outside the hospital where Paredes and Santana died. Meyer said a gun was found near his body.Īlthough El Monte Mayor Jessica Ancona had said the officers were “essentially ambushed,” Meyer would not say whether the officers were attacked immediately upon arriving at the motel. County-USC Medical Center, where they died. Andrew Meyer, who leads the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau, said that after an exchange of gunfire in the room, Flores ran out into a parking lot, where the officers fired again. What exactly happened next remains unclear, but a source familiar with the incident said the officers came under fire after knocking on the door to one of the motel’s rooms.Ĭapt. Tuesday, Paredes and Santana responded to a report of a stabbing at the Siesta Inn, a single-story, stucco motel on Garvey Avenue. Justin Flores, who allegedly fired at the officers, was on probation for a gun charge at the time of the shooting, court records show.Īsked why Flores wasn’t arrested on the violation, Karla Tovar, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Probation Department, said the agency was “currently investigating the matter further.”Īround 4:30 p.m. California The killing of two homegrown police officers leaves El Monte reeling
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