Shooting Suspect, 61, Who Turned Gun On Himself After 6-Hour Standoff Identified

EL MONTE (CBSLA.com) — Authorities have confirmed the identity of a 61-year-old man who they said shot and critically wounded another man before turning the gun on himself.

Thanh Trung Cao of El Monte apparently shot himself to death Friday after barricading himself inside a home and keeping police at bay for more than six hours.

El Monte Police responded to a shots fired call in the 11400 block of Elcrest Street around 7:30 a.m., according to El Monte Police Lt. Chris Williams.

Officials said the victim of that shooting was extricated from the location and taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition.

Cao was seen entering the residence before the shooting, police said.

Nearby homes were evacuated during a standoff with Cao and Frank M. Wright Elementary School was put on lockdown.

Williams said a SWAT team was also activated.

After several hours, police deployed a "throw phone" into the home, but didn't make contact with Cao.

Around 1:30 p.m., police entered the residence and found Cao dead from a single gunshot wound.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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