Suspect dead after two-day standoff with 100 shots fired near Los Angeles

(LOS ANGELES) — After more than 48 hours, law enforcement in Valinda, California, concluded a deadly standoff with a man who used a “high-power rifle” to fire 100 rounds at bystanders and officers.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a home in Valinda around 2:30 p.m. on Friday, following reports of a man shooting at pedestrians with a deadly weapon, according to officials from the sheriff’s department.

The operation concluded late Sunday afternoon when deputies found the suspect deceased inside the home, according to an advisory from the sheriff’s department at 5:50 p.m. Sunday. The shooter died by suicide according to a statement from Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis.

“When they arrived, they were met with gunfire by the suspect and deputies returned fire at that time,” Deputy Miguel Meza told reporters. “The suspect barricaded himself inside that residence.”

Officials from the sheriff’s department later determined that the man was a guest in the home, which belonged to his girlfriend.

Crisis negotiators at the scene attempted to “contact the suspect to resolve this situation peacefully,” the sheriff’s department said.

Commander Tom Giandomenico, who led the SWAT team’s response to the incident, said that despite the shooter firing potentially over 100 rounds at officers and bystanders, law enforcement did not return fire.

“We did not return fire for our goal was to protect him from himself and the community,” Giandomenico said.

Some of the male suspect’s family members were assisting police by providing information on “what state of mind he was in,” Meza said. Giandomenico said they learned he intended to harm responding officers throughout the operation.

Giandomenico said that the SWAT team eventually broke “portals” into the roof of the house so they could use cameras to locate evidence and the shooter.

Law enforcement at one point attempted to fill the residence with “chemical agents” to disorient the shooter and force him out of the residence.

Responding deputies learned at 4 p.m. local time Sunday that the shooter, alone in the residence, had died.

Apart from the shooter, no one was hit by gunfire, the department said. A female victim was transported to a local hospital for an undisclosed injury that was not a gunshot wound, deputies said.

Deputies evacuated the nearby homes and residents were advised to avoid the area. Ten families were impacted by the standoff, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.

“It’s still ongoing, all night … That is just crazy. It’s crazy and sad,” local resident Janet Torres told ABC’s Los Angeles affiliate.

Armored equipment, including BearCats and battering ram vehicles, could be seen on the scene, and paramedics were also on standby throughout the incident.

As of Sunday evening, efforts were underway to return the displaced families to their homes.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.