3 Oakland cops killed in 2 related incidents Fourth Oakland officer in critical condition - shooter killed by SWAT team

Police personnel pour over the first shooting scene where 2 of the 4 Oakland police officers were shot and all are in critical condition after a traffic stop on MacArthur Blvd. at 74th Ave., turned deadly in Oakland, Calif. on Saturday March 21, 2009. less Police personnel pour over the first shooting scene where 2 of the 4 Oakland police officers were shot and all are in critical condition after a traffic stop on MacArthur Blvd. at 74th Ave., turned deadly in ... more Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 34 Caption Close 3 Oakland cops killed in 2 related incidents 1 / 34 Back to Gallery

Three Oakland police sergeants were shot and killed and a fourth officer was critically wounded Saturday in a pair of related incidents that together rank among the deadliest attacks on law enforcement in California history.

A fifth officer, a member of the SWAT team that killed the suspect police held responsible for the shootings, was treated for minor injuries and released.

The first incident happened about 1:15 p.m. when two traffic officers were gunned down after what police described as a "routine" stop of a 1995 Buick in the 7400 block of MacArthur Boulevard in East Oakland, not far from the Eastmont Town Center.

About two hours later, after some 200 officers from Oakland Police, Alameda County Sheriff's Office, BART Police and the California Highway Patrol combed the area for the suspect, three SWAT officers were shot when their team found him hidden in an apartment on 74th Avenue near Hillside Street, police officials said.

In all, two SWAT officers and one traffic officer died in the two incidents; one traffic officer was on life support late Saturday.

"In these moments, words are extraordinarily inadequate," Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums told reporters at a news conference Saturday night at Oakland police headquarters. "We come together in shock, in grief, in sadness and sorrow. Our hearts go out to the officers' families who are experiencing a level of tragedy that goes beyond our ability to comprehend."

"These folks leave their homes in the morning, with every expectation of returning," Dellums said, "but they did not."

Killed Saturday were motorcycle officer Sgt. Mark Dunakin, 40, and Sgts. Ervin Romans, 43, and Daniel Sakai, 35, both members of the SWAT team. The other motorcycle officer, John Hege, 41, was in grave condition, officials said.

The suspect, whom police identified as Lovelle Mixon, 26, of Oakland, shot at the SWAT officers, who "returned fire in defense of their lives," said Officer Jeff Thomason, a department spokesman. The suspect, who police believe was acting alone, was killed. Officials said the suspect was on parole after being convicted of assault with a deadly weapon and was also wanted on a no-bail warrant. Officials did not explain the nature of the warrant.

Capitol flags at half-staff

"All four officers dedicated their lives to public safety and selflessly worked to protect the people of Oakland," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "Maria and I join the Bay Area in remembering their service and honoring their sacrifice."

Schwarzenegger said Capitol flags would be flown at half-staff. He is flying from Washington to Oakland today to meet with the mayor and Howard Jordan, Oakland's acting police chief.

Oakland City Council member Larry Reid called the incident "one of the worst days in the history of Oakland."

Saturday's shooting appears to be one of the state's most horrific police killings.

The most notorious such slaying is referred to as the "Newhall incident," a Los Angeles County shootout in 1970 that left four California Highway Patrol officers dead and changed the way state law enforcement officers approach high-risk stops.

Saturday evening, as word of the shootings circulated in the Bay Area's law enforcement community, about 100 officers gathered outside the entrance to Oakland's Highland Hospital emergency room, waiting desperately for information about their fallen colleagues. Some of them were wearing SWAT gear, while others were wearing baseball jerseys after having raced to the hospital from a game.

At the Oakland Police Officers Association office near Jack London Square, hundreds of officers assembled to mourn their colleagues.

"It's shock and disbelief," said Oakland Police Sgt. David Faeth. "We lost a lot of good people today. Good officers, good friends. It hasn't really set in yet."

Shortly after the 9 p.m. news conference, religious leaders from the Oakland community formed an impromptu prayer circle.

Pastor David Kietley of Shiloh Christian Church said, "Let us pray for the shalom of this city and for peace to reign in every part of this city."

First reports of the incident came from a 911 call at 1:16 p.m., reporting that two officers had been shot, possibly with an assault-type rifle. The suspect fled from the scene on foot, sparking a door-to-door manhunt in East Oakland that involved officers from at least five law enforcement agencies.

An anonymous tipster told police that the suspect was in an apartment building just blocks from the original shooting. The SWAT team was called to the site and took control of the area around the building. After repeated attempts to communicate with the suspect, SWAT officers entered the building around 3:30 p.m.

Fired through closet door

According to law enforcement sources, the SWAT team officers entered an apartment and approached a closet. Suddenly the gunman, hiding in the closet, opened fire through the door, killing two officers and wounding a third. Officers fired back, killing the gunman.

All during the afternoon, from the time, just after lunch, when the shootings started, until it became dark, East Oakland was swarming with police cars, dozens of them parked on block after block, as officers conducted their investigation and neighbors came out and stood on the sidewalk, watching.

On nearby 73rd Avenue, a man who declined to give his name said he was working in his backyard when he heard four gunshots, followed by a four-second pause, then two more gunshots. It was the start of the first incident.

He looked up and saw a police officer running down MacArthur Boulevard with a gun drawn, heading toward the Dolphin Pharmacy, in front of which the shootings occurred. Within seconds dozens of police cars and helicopters descended on the intersection, he said.

Another neighbor, Antonay Jackson, said she saw officers visibly shaken, some with bowed heads, as they began taking pictures and taping off the crime scene.

"It's crazy," she said. "The police station is right there. We can see it. I don't know, this is too close to home."

Neighbors described the site of the second shootings as an older, two-story, cream-colored eight-plex apartment building on a usually quiet block.

Beatriz Gomez, who runs Beatriz Hair Style salon on 73rd Avenue, said she and her customers were frightened when they saw dozens of police officers swarming around her store, which backs up to the apartment building on 74th Avenue.

"I never saw so many police," she said. "We were scared. We didn't know what happened. Customers were calling all day to see if we were OK. But it's sad - the police do a good job protecting us."

Hours after the shooting, dozens of officers still surrounded the shooting sites, with Oakland police joined by CHP officers, Alameda County sheriff's deputies and BART police.

Young people gathered on street corners, as police shut down parts of MacArthur Boulevard and Hillside Street to make room for investigators.

Keith Sykes, who lives behind the apartment building where the suspect was killed, knew there was trouble when he heard the rush of sirens.

"When you see six or seven police cars, you know a cop's been hurt," he said.

Neighbors said they didn't believe that the gunman lived in the building where he was slain, but one said "there's a lot of fussing" in that apartment building.

"It's sad," said Mark Green, another local resident. "I'll tell you this much, I'm going to church tonight."

There have been problems in that neighborhood.

Oakland police opened a substation at the Eastmont Town Center in 1992, responding to neighborhood complaints about crime and violence in the area. But the substation, built in an old tire shop, did not end the neighborhood's troubles.

In 1996, a rowdy rap concert in the mall turned into a melee, with a crowd lobbing bottles and rocks at police, cars and buses. Some of the concertgoers started racing their cars up and down the streets, and two men died after their car crashed through the fence of a nearby school playground.

In 1999, an Oakland police technician was shot at outside the police substation. In 2002, Michelle Horton of San Leandro was shot and killed as she drove on Bancroft Avenue near the mall.