A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy interviewing a woman and a man outside a Hawaiian Gardens apartment was fatally shot Friday when a gunman burst out of the residence , put a handgun to the officer's face and fired , authorities said .
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los angeles county sheriff's deputy interview woman man outside hawaiian gardens apartment fatally shoot friday gunman burst residence handgun officer's face fire authority say
A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy interviewing a woman and a man outside a Hawaiian Gardens apartment was fatally shot Friday when a gunman burst out of the residence , put a handgun to the officer's <m> face </m> and fired , authorities said .
http : / / articles . latimes . com / 2005 / jun / 25 / local / me - sheriff25
Gunman Kills L . A . Deputy on Gang Duty
June 25 , 2005
A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy interviewing a woman and a man outside a Hawaiian Gardens apartment was fatally shot Friday when a gunman burst out of the residence , put a handgun to the officer's <m> face </m> and fired , authorities said .
Sheriff's deputies fanned out across Hawaiian Gardens late Friday in search of the gunman , who apparently surprised Deputy Jerry Ortiz , 35 , as he spoke to the woman in the doorway of her apartment .
Authorities said Ortiz probably died instantly .
"This was an assassination of a deputy , " Sheriff Lee Baca said .
"It was a sudden attack that gave the deputy no chance . "
Deputies identified the suspect as Jose Luis Orozco , 27 , a parolee wanted on suspicion of attempted murder in another case .
"He should be considered armed and very dangerous , " said sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore .
Deputies said that Orozco is 5 - foot - 8 , 135 pounds , with tattoos of "devil's horns" on his forehead and other tattoos over his upper body .
They said he is a gang member known by the nickname "Sepy . "
Ortiz , who had hoped to become a detective soon , had worked for the Sheriff's Department for 15 years and was known as an extremely hard worker whose job was to penetrate the inner workings of local gangs .
The Diamond Bar resident was married two weeks ago to his second wife , Chela .
He is also survived by two sons , ages 6 and 16 .
Last year , Ortiz won the department's Medal of Honor after he fatally shot a carjacker who drew a gun on him and his partner , Det . Colin Orpe .
"He was an outstanding person , who would go out of his way to help people , " said Orpe , a longtime friend .
"We're all mourning , " he said , choking back tears .
The shooting occurred about 3 : 10 p . m . in the 12200 block of 223rd Street in Hawaiian Gardens , a working - class city at the northeastern border of Long Beach that has long been plagued by gang violence .
The town of 14 , 000 has struggled economically in recent years , luring a casino to help balance its shaky finances .
Ortiz's body was discovered by residents who heard the gunfire .
They tried to aid the deputy and dialed 911 , authorities said .
Ortiz was working without his longtime partner at the time of the attack .
Undersheriff Larry Waldie said Ortiz had arrived for work early , as he often did , and was so eager to begin his day that he struck out on his own .
"He didn't want to wait , " Waldie said .
Asked if Ortiz might have lived had his partner been with him , Waldie said there was no way to know .
"There might have been two people killed , " he said .
The shooting was followed by confusion as scores of deputies descended on the area with dogs and rifles but little knowledge of what had occurred .
A sheriff's SWAT team encircled the apartment complex where it was believed that the gunman could be hiding .
Patrol deputies detained as many as nine potential witnesses and others in an effort to learn details of the shooting .
Nearly all of them were rounded up in a liquor store next to the apartment complex .
Television news footage showed the men and women sitting on the curb in handcuffs as deputies interviewed them and swabbed their hands for possible gunshot residue .