A California Highway Patrol officer and two hostages were shot and one was killed in a public park on Friday. The gunman was wanted for questioning in connection with a shooting on a freeway, officials said.
Thursday afternoon in Roseville, as families watched from neighboring baseball fields and children at camp, CHP officers attempted to serve a search warrant on Eric Abril. Abril grabbed two hostages, later revealed to be a married couple, as mayhem spread over the community of around 150,000 people northeast of Sacramento on Friday.
Roseville police have confirmed that James MacEgan was shot and murdered and that his wife was also hurt. The CHP officer who was hurt has been released from the hospital, his name was not made public either. But, Abril remained hospitalized with a gunshot wound on Friday, according to Roseville police.
CHP Officer Ricardo Ortiz stated on Friday that no warrant was out for Abril’s arrest, despite investigators’ belief that Abril was the shooter in a prior freeway incident in Sacramento County. At the time, the police only had orders to search his residence and vehicle.
Ortiz claimed Thursday would merely consist of questioning. When and where the shooting on the expressway took place was information that Ortiz lacked. Ortiz added that he had no idea how or why the CHP officers had located Abril in Mahany Park, a suburban park frequented by families with young children.
It’s a tragedy that lives were lost, Ortiz remarked on Friday. I can’t claim to know what the police there were thinking or why they took the actions they did. I don’t feel qualified to speak on that.
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