5 Dead In Fiery L.A. Home Standoff

Officer And Gunman Killed; Three Men, Likely Relatives Of Shooter, Also Dead

(CBS/AP)  A man who called 911 and claimed he killed three relatives opened fire on SWAT officers Thursday as they entered the house where he had barricaded himself. One officer was killed, and the gunman died in a later exchange of gunfire.

Five men were killed in all, police said, but a woman who had been hiding inside the suburban home through much of the 11-hour ordeal survived.

Randal Simmons, 51, was the first SWAT officer killed in the line of duty in the unit's 41-year-history, officials said.

"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," said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who said he visited with Simmons' family.

The standoff began Wednesday night after a SWAT team responded to the 911 call and surrounded the San Fernando Valley house. About three hours later, officers entered the one-story home and got into a gunfight with the suspect. Two officers were shot, and police retreated with their wounded colleagues.

Both officers were taken to Northridge Medical Center, where Simmons, 51, died just after 1 a.m., said Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell. The other, 51-year-old James Veenstra, had undergone surgery and was expected to survive.

During the shootout, officers found three men - two that appeared dead and a third that appeared to be alive. The third man was taken out of the house, but was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities tried to reach the gunman by telephone and by loudspeaker, and family members asked the man to give himself up.

"Unfortunately the suspect had absolutely no contact with us, made no effort to surrender," said Assistant Chief Michael Moore.

Police eventually lobbed tear gas into the home and hit it repeatedly with a battering ram.

Around that time, a woman ran from the rear of the house and was rescued. Police said she had been hiding in the home during the ordeal. Her name and possible relationship to the gunman were not released.

The house eventually caught fire, although authorities said they were not sure if it was caused by a flash-bang device or if the gunman ignited it.

The gunman, who was not identified, later died in another exchange of gunfire, Moore said.

Police did not identify the three men, but Moore said they might have been related to one another or to the family that lived in the house.

"When you look at the amount of shots fired and the threat to this community, we're very thankful SWAT intervened," McDonnell said. "It could have been much worse."

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was at the news conference and said he had visited with the family of the officer who was killed.

"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.

Both SWAT team members who were shot have spent more than 25 years in the Los Angeles Police Department, reports KCBS.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said he had visited with the family of Simmons, who left a wife and two teenage children. Veenstra's wife is a captain on the force.

[excoachken]

Schoollord; You are the most informed person on this subject. That is why those who have been indoctrinated with their NRA hate, the "Johnny One Notes" cannot counter your facts, are so angry. Don''t stop, but stay away from the temptation to call them names. Keep up the fight and you will be saving lives, because other "unbiased" readers will understand the dangers of the gun "free for all" mentality that our country now suffers from.

[krisd999-2009]

The presence of 300 million guns in most homes prevents enormous amount of crime, but since it doesn''t happen it can not be quantified. Even the homes that don''t have guns benefit because criminals are scared. Countries that don''t have guns have an enormous burglary problem. Domestic murders would happen anyway with knives, ropes, bathtub drownings, etc.-its not a perfect world. If you can''t defend yourself and rely on 911, by the time the cops get there, you could be ready for the body bag. Under natural desasters, riots, it could be weeks before they come to pick-up your body, like in Louisiana. Everyone must have a gun. Our burglary problem is almost completely because of desperate suicidal druggies. If we legalized all drugs, the druggies will be able to get all they need for 50 cents at the local drug store. As a side benefit we will also cutoff the funding of AlQaeda in Afganistan (poppies could be grown by our farmers)

[beehive21-2009]

LA is full of gang bangers this may be the top of the iceberg,lots to go.the USA is armed and some get out of line and fight the police ,foolish ,mistake,do not mess with the police unless you want to be killed ,thats the gig.

[mrghostlocos]

THIS IS MR GHOST FROM 818 LOCOS AND THIS IS MY HOMEBOY THAT DID THIS HIS NICK NAME IS HEFFTY FROM 818 LOCOS AND HIS REAL NAME IS EDWIN THE OTHER PEOPLE ARE HIS BROTHERS FROGY FROM 818 LOCOS HIS REAL NAME HIS EDGER AND ANDY AND HIS DAD THIS VATO WAS REAL FIRME RIP HEFFTY,FROGY FROM MR GHOST 818 LOCOS

[br35-2009]

Your lordship....ummm should I bow or something when I address you?
anyway, you don''t mention in your statistics that only 39% were murdered.

So...not only are you narcissistic, you twist facts to suit your own agenda.

manipulation of facts is the same as telling a lie.

Now who''s pathetic.

You accuse others of being gun nuts, but. I''d trust a gun nut sooner than I would a ranting liar like yourself.

[br35-2009]

schoollord
what is your problem? last time i checked, the constitution allows for citizens to own guns. So guns are used in crime. Did crime start with guns? No...it''s been around a long long time. Cars can be used to kill people. Knives can be used to kill people. Fertilizer can be used to kill people.

It is you schoollord that is DANGEROUS. Your screen name and your ranting diatribes suggest a narcissistic personality driven to controlling others. Give it a rest there your lordship!

[br35-2009]

Not only from T.V. but also world leaders have a " I don''''t like the way you think, so I will invade your country with some trumped up reason that makes sence to me. Kill you and all of your kind that disagree with my bypolar way of reasoning, and call it over when I say so. Thanks King George II for setting as good as an example as The Godfather series.


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Posted by bozworth4 at 08:11 PM : Feb 07, 2008

Why is it that everytime there''s bad news, some dimwitted moron blames George Bush for it? Well boz....you win the prize. You may not like Bush, and that is certainly your right, but for God''s Sake...stop blaming him for every GODD*MN thing that goes wrong. It makes you look more stupid than you''re portraying him to be. get a life boz. if you want to blame someone for something, try to make sure they were actually involved.

PS...I suppose your lack of spelling skills is Bush''s fault too.

[sadrose]

A man calls and says he killed 3 members of his family.Lets send a pizza delivery and an ice cream truck.Or we could send the police and let them do thier jobs.

[jimfinster]

A man with one match can create more destruction and death than a man with one gun. Think about it.

[offtheback]

Also, all your guns present a clear danger to everyone around you because criminals definitely do want to steal those guns and use them for other crimes! Posted by MyIDonCBS

Not hardly, my firearms (15 of the 16) are locked in an 800 pound safe that is lag bolted to the floor and wall. The 16th is conceled at my bedside in a fingerprint operated lock box.

[bozworth4]

You are so right offtheback!!!!!

[bhappy2-2]

Also, all your guns present a clear danger to everyone around you because criminals definitely do want to steal those guns and use them for other crimes! Posted by MyIDonCBS

But how can that be? The ONE who shall remain nameless has stated many times that the majority of criminals are unarmed. Why would a criminal that goes unarmed need to steal guns to use in other unarmed crimes? You gunbanning NUTZO''s make no sense at all!

[bozworth4]

This is so true. Plus the kids see guns as something glamorous from TV and the movies. So easy to solve a disagreement by just shooting someone....




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Posted by jimfinster at 05:25 PM : Feb 07, 2008
+ report abuse


Not only from T.V. but also world leaders have a " I don''t like the way you think, so I will invade your country with some trumped up reason that makes sence to me. Kill you and all of your kind that disagree with my bypolar way of reasoning, and call it over when I say so. Thanks King George II for setting as good as an example as The Godfather series.

[offtheback]

The answer to crime in the street is 38 ounces of cold steel in my hand spitting out 158 grains of jacketed hollow point at 1250 feet per second. Everything else is second best.

[Krazcarl]

Schoollord your a blithering idiot and a disgrace to your faimly. 1 own no weapons I''m a big man plus don''t need any but I have 0 problem if gunownerdan has one. You were a puss and weren''t around when your friends needed you not like a bag of wind would have helped.

[random_radar]

Here''s something different to think about...

A man calls 911 and says he shot 3 men. Maybe they are dead, but maybe they are severely wounded and still could be saved. A woman also turns out to be in the house.

The police come and surround the house for several hours--while the three victims may be bleeding to death. The story says that after the long stand off one of the men appeared to be alive...so maybe they all died during the stand off.

The police start lobbing tear gas, exchanging gun fire, almost certainly started the fire, and start bashing down the house walls. If those victims were alive, this certainly isn''t helping them. And what about the woman? They were endangering her life, and she is lucky the police didn''t kill her.

The police were having a field day playing cops and robbers with the gunman while for all they know 3 men were dying. Plus they were potentially going to kill a woman with their heavy handed antics.

Is this how civilized law enforcement should act? Think about it--they were more concerned with shooting it out than saving anyone''s lives--including, unfortunately, their own.

[gunownerdan]

Sticks and stones can break bones, so let''s ban them!
It''s madness I tell you.

[gunownerdan]

In the UK all guns were banned several years ago.
Since then violent crimes have gone UP and now all pocket knives are banned as well.
Criminals still have guns and knives and now criminals are even using fake guns and BB guns to commit crimes because they know all law-abiding citizens are defenseless.
Now the UK government is even trying to ban bb guns, toy guns, and swords!
It seems like it will never end until hands and feet become illegal!!!
www.A-HUMAN-RIGHT.com

[memerider]

Inner city and many suburban kids these days have been raised in the "gun-fear culture.

...kids see guns as something glamorous from TV and the movies. So easy to solve a disagreement by just shooting someone....

Agreed. I have an idea. Let''s get kids out from in front of TVs and computers and actually put them into situations where they learn to shoot in a respectful and safe way--the way kids used to be taught before the anti-gun extremists suffered their own trauma incidents. It worked then, and I''ll bet it would work now.

Concealed carry permitholders are some of the most peaceful, law-abiding people in the U.S.

Making guns illegal just encourages criminals to manufacture and distribute their own (it''s way too easy to do), and banning them, in all cases worldwide, has resulted in disasters for women, the elderly, and the frail. In the UK and AU, young thugs just use their hands and feet now to invade homes of the elderly.

Gun bans are short-sighted--terror will strike in the U.S. again, gangs do run rampant in the U.S., especially central American ones near large cities (MS-13, for example), and disarming law-abiding citizens is sheer insanity.

[jimfinster]

Excellent point. Inner city and many suburban kids these days have been raised in the "gun-fear culture." Most probably aren''''t aware of this, but anti-gun sentiment has been initially spread by people who suffered post-traumatic stress themselves, due to an incident involving guns, and they don''''t realize their fear is irrational, and they seek to spread mass hysteria--assisted by the media, who sell adrenaline rushes.
Posted by memerider

This is so true. Plus the kids see guns as something glamorous from TV and the movies. So easy to solve a disagreement by just shooting someone....