Please Note: This is a breaking account and reports often change as the situation develops, stay tuned for updates.
Dean James at Right Wing Tribune -Opinion – Analysis – Speculation – LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA — A gunman opened fire near the Lancaster sheriff’s station Wednesday, leaving one deputy injured, officials said.
The deputy was shot in the shoulder and taken to the hospital according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Marvin Crowder.
Crowder said the shooting was reported shortly after 2:45 p.m. and the shooter is still at large.
The bullets were fired into the station’s helipad area, the Los Angeles Times reported.
There is a massive police presence including SWAT, Highway Patrol, the FBI and several tactical units including snipers in a helicopter.
“My deputy is in stable condition at a local hospital. He was hit in by one round in the shoulder,” Sheriff Alex Villaneuva said. “We have set up containment on a nearby building and we are going through all our tactical steps right now.”
Villanueva said deputies have the area entirely blocked off and they believe the shooter is contained. The sheriff said the shot came from a considerable distance. It was unclear how many shots were fired.
Officials believe the suspect is inside a four-story structure. Deputies have been using binoculars to scan the building for a possible sniper, and officers are positioned nearby waiting for the SWAT team. Tactical units have been deployed to Lancaster with armored vehicles on the 14 Freeway.
Because of concern for sniper fire, deputies have been told to approach the area only from the west. Deputies are clearing nearby buildings, including a library and an apartment complex.
A Sheriff’s Department source said the gunman fired a high-velocity rifle round that hit the injured deputy.
https://twitter.com/LASDHQ/status/1164314430835810304
Officers are deploying a drone to look inside the building where the suspect is barricaded.
This is an ongoing situation.
Here is video from KTLA5:
