Photo: El Monte Police Department
EL MONTE (CNS) - A candlelight vigil will be held Saturday in memory of two El Monte police officers who were fatally shot during a gun battle that also killed the suspect, who was free on probation for a weapons offense despite a history of arrests.
The vigil is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at the El Monte Civic Center in honor of Cpl. Michael Domingo Paredes, 42, and Officer Joseph Anthony Santana, 31. They both died after being shot around 5:10 p.m. Tuesday in a gunfight at the Siesta Inn, 10327 Garvey Ave., where they had responded on a report of a stabbing.
Authorities say the officers confronted the suspect in a room at the motel, leading to gunfire. The suspect ran outside into a parking lot, where another shooting occurred. The officers were taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where they both died.
According to the coroner's office, both officers were shot in the head.
The suspect, Justin William Flores, 35, died at the scene of the shooting.
The officers, who lived in Upland but were raised in El Monte, were both married fathers. Funeral arrangements were still pending.
The Peace Officers Research Association of California, or PORAC, established a fundraising campaign on behalf of the officers' families. CLICK HERE TO DONATE.
According to the city, Paredes began as an EMPD cadet and was sworn in as a full-time police officer in July of 2000. He is survived by his wife, daughter and son.
Santana spent six years working for the city's Public Works Department, then worked for three years as a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy. He joined the El Monte Police Department last year. He is survived by his wife, daughter and twin boys.
According to court records, Flores pleaded guilty last year to a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. As part of the plea, charges of being a felon in possession of ammunition and methamphetamine possession were dismissed. He was sentenced to two years probation and 20 days in jail, with warning that if he violated probation he would face up to three years in prison.
Deputy District Attorney Jon Hatami, a leader of the drive to recall District Attorney George Gascón, blasted the plea deal, saying it was an example of Gascón's policies against alleging prior strike convictions in criminal cases allowing a defendant to avoid prison time and remain on the streets.
"When George Gascón implemented his blanket policies, he didn't care about prior violent criminal history, the law, evidence, facts or public safety," Hatami wrote on his Twitter page. "He excluded all strike priors on past & future cases no matter what. His excuses now are just not true."
He added, "He refuses to fully charge & prosecute existing gun cases. Felon in (possession) of a firearm with a prior strike -- no prison, no accountability & no public safety."
Hatami said Flores had prior felony convictions for vehicle theft in 2009 and burglary in 2011, which led to prison time. He said the suspect also had multiple arrests over the past decade.
The District Attorney's Office issued a statement Wednesday night to media outlets, saying, "The sentence (Flores) received in the firearm case was consistent with case resolutions for this type of offense given his criminal history and the nature of the offense. At the time the court sentenced him, Mr. Flores did not have a documented history of violence."
The office noted that Flores' prior burglary conviction was for burglarizing his grandparents' house.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Flores was due to appear in court later this month for allegedly violating his probation.
Some reports began circulating Thursday that the District Attorney's Office, under a directive by Gascón, would be paying for Flores' funeral costs as a victim of a police shooting. But his office issued a statement blasting the reports as untrue.
"Those rumors are unfounded and incredibly disrespectful to the families and colleagues of the two fallen officers," according to the DA's office. "We also hope people will stop playing politics with trauma and that we can all get serious about how we prevent serious violence before it begins. We will be working with anyone who is willing to solve these problems."
Flores' mother, Lynn Covarrubias, told The Times her son and his wife, who had a 7-year-old daughter, were separated, but they would often stay at the Siesta Inn.
Flores' wife, Diana Flores, told CBS2 she was at the motel room with him when the 911 call was made, saying the responding officers "were trying to help me."
"I'm so deeply sorry," she told the station. "My condolences for saving me."
She said she tried to warn the officers that Flores was armed.
"I told them before they went in the room, `Don't go in -- he has a gun,"' she told Channel 2.
A memorial of flowers and tributes was continuing to grow outside the El Monte Police Department headquarters, and more condolences poured in from police and fire agencies in the Southland and beyond.
The El Monte Farmers Market, normally held every Thursday evening on Main Street, was postponed indefinitely, along with a planned Pride Night event, as the "community grieves the loss of our two fallen heroes," according to a statement from the city.
The city also canceled Friday's scheduled "Dive-in Movies" event. El Monte's city manager told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune that city hall will be closed Monday for a day of grieving.
The shooting came one day after a California Highway Patrol officer was shot multiple times during a traffic stop in Studio City. That officer was expected to survive, and a suspect in the shooting was arrested after an hours- long manhunt.
Anyone with information about the El Monte shooting was encouraged to call the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous calls can be made to 800-222-TIPS.