A Downey police officer was apparently targeted when he was fatally shot while sitting in his personal vehicle in the station’s parking lot, and investigators detained several people and continued searching for others in connection to the deadly incident as of Thursday morning, sheriff’s officials said.
Ricardo Galvez, known as Ricky, was parked in an unmarked vehicle the police station’s lot, located in the 10900 block of Brookshire Avenue, when two people ran up and opened fire around 11 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Galvez was nearing the end of his shift when the “brazen” shooting occurred, Lt. John Carina said.
“It appears like he was targeted, it doesn’t look random,” he added.
Investigators did not know why Galvez, a 5-year veteran of the police department and former U.S. Marine, would have been targeted, or if there was a confrontation between him and the gunmen prior to the shooting.
A patrol officer heard the gunfire and pursued the suspected gunmen, believed to be two men, Carina said.
The pursuit ended in Montebello where multiple people, including both men and women, were detained.
Carina did not know if the gunmen were among those located, and search warrants were being executed Thursday morning as the search for more people continued. The search for the weapon was also underway.
Washington Boulevard between Paramount Boulevard and Greenwood Avenue was closed during the investigation, but reopened by 7:30 a.m., according to the Montebello Police Department.
Investigators were also reviewing surveillance footage of the shooting, Carina said.
Galvez was described as a tremendous young man who loved serving the residents of Downey.
“His smile was infectious and his professionalism was always on display,” Downey Chief Carl Charles said.
Police initially said the fatal shooting may be related to a car-to-car shooting about 2 miles from the station, but later said the incidents were not related.
