Cops: Calif. police shooting suspect dies amid fiery standoff
FREMONT, Calif. -- A man suspected in the shooting of two police officers died early Thursday after the home he was barricaded in caught fire during a tense standoff with a SWAT team, reports CBS San Francisco.
Alameda County sheriff's deputies made contact with the armed suspect around 2 a.m., more than 12 hours after a traffic stop led to two different exchanges of gunfire, during which an officer and a detective were injured.
"This was a big ordeal for us," Fremont police spokeswoman Geneva Bosques said, speaking to reporters Thursday.
Authorities said the suspect broke into the home, located near where the two Fremont police officers were wounded Wednesday afternoon. He had no apparent ties to the residence, Bosques said.
Officials said they last made contact with the suspect with a phone call around 3:30 a.m. Later in the morning, gas canisters were fired into the house in an effort to get the suspect to come out, police said. The effort may have led to the fire that consumed the home.
After initially attempting to suppress the blaze, firefighters backed off and fought the fire from a distance. SWAT officers surrounded the home and nearby houses were evacuated. Explosions and popping noises were clearly audible as the home burned.
"He told us he had a gun, so we (were) not in any hurry," said Alameda County Sheriff's Sgt. Ray Kelly.
The sheriff's office was relieved of its duties by the Oakland Police tactical team around 5:00 a.m.
Around 6:45 a.m., the fire started to intensify and firefighters moved closer to fight the blaze. A lockdown in the area was also lifted.
About two hours later, authorities announced that the suspect died inside the burning home.
Police say they don't know the suspect's cause of death but said it was "likely" the suspect was in the home during the blaze. His body was found in a closet, Bosques said.
Bosques said the suspect was "given many opportunities to come out" of the home during the hours-long standoff, but "refused to do so."
Bosques apologized to the homeowners and said officials have been in communication with them.
The standoff and blaze ended an intense manhunt that began when the alleged gunman and multiple other suspects were stopped by a patrol officer at 1:33 p.m. After the suspects pulled over, the driver backed into a patrol car, and there was an exchange of gunfire that injured an officer, Bosques said.
One or more suspects fled the scene and the alleged gunman was found about 10 minutes later. In the ensuing exchange of gunfire, a detective was shot multiple times, police said. Police are working to determine whether the suspect may have had accomplices.
Both officers were taken to a hospital, where one is in critical condition and the other is listed as stable, police said.