Three police officers were fatally shot and two others wounded late Saturday by a suspect who later was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police in the northern Californian city of Oakland. Officials said the suspect first opened fire on two motorcycle police officers during a routine traffic stop, killing one and critically wounding the other.
Police launched a manhunt for the suspect, who shot and killed two more officers before police fatally wounded him in a shootout. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger called the officers deaths "tragic," and ordered state flags flown at half-staff.
"This is a tragic day for law enforcement officers everywhere," he said in a statement, adding the slain police had "dedicated their lives to public safety and selflessly worked to protect the people of Oakland."
The dead suspect, who was out of prison on parole and who had a long criminal record, was identified by police as Lovelle Mixon, 26. Authorities said the Oakland officers killed were Mark Dunakin, 40; Ervin Romans, 43; and Dan Saki, 35. Officials said it was the first fatal shooting involving police in the city in five years.
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