Wow, I see some prison time in a cop’s future.  Incredible.  I had remarked privately to friends the day of the shooting that even if the incident was real, which I had assumed it was at the time, the ridiculously long ‘lock down’ of the area was absurd being that I’m sure the assailant was long gone by the time back up would have arrived.  What kind of elaborate scam was this officer trying to pull off?

LA Times Blog writes:

A Los Angeles school police officer who was wounded last week in a shooting that prompted authorities to shut down a large swath of Woodland Hills concocted a story that he was the victim of the shooting, authorities said Thursday night.

The startling revelation came at a hastily called news conference by Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck, who said detectives became suspicious about the officer’s story as they investigated the case.

Police earlier had said that Los Angeles Unified School District Officer Jeff Stenroos was shot in the chest after he was confronted by a man Jan. 19 as he was attempting to break into vehicles in Woodland Hills, near the eastern boundary of the El Camino Real High School campus.

The incident generated a massive police response that inconvenienced thousands of people for the day as officers blocked roads, shutdown schools and refuse to let people in or out of a 7-square-mile area.

More than 300 officers swarmed the west San Fernando Valley, locking down nine schools and setting up the dragnet as they looked for a suspect described as a white man in his 40s, wearing a bomber or black hooded jacket and blue jeans.

While many expressed frustration and anger at the inconvenience caused by the size and length of the operation, LAPD officials defended the decision as necessary to protect the public. They noted that the incident was especially serious because it involved an attack against a fellow law enforcement officer.

Authorities had even offered a $100,000 reward for information of the case and compiled a composite of the shooting suspect.

LAPD is currently involved in a standoff with a woman in Reseda.  Suspect is armed with a 9mm handgun and is apparently depressed and on meds.  Her sister is in the process of evicting her from the home.  After police were called at 9pm this evening, suspect confronted police at entrance with handgun, then retreated into the home.  Thanks to Samira for the tip and to a police scanner on my Droid phone for more details.  Apparently there is also possibly a suicide note.  This might end badly.

(in progress)

Update: I had to go to bed around 1am, hopefully I can get some info on how this ended.

Update: According to ABC7, this ended peacefully:

RESEDA, Calif. (KABC) — A woman was arrest after a police standoff in Reseda on Tuesday that was apparently sparked when she was being evicted from her home.

Police said the two sisters who lived at a home on the 7300 block of Shirley Avenue got into an argument. It seems one of them was being evicted but refused to leave.

When police arrived at about 7:30 p.m, the sister being evicted grabbed a gun. Police called a SWAT team in, and the woman was eventually taken into custody without incident.

No one was injured in the incident.

On Friday night LAPD sent out this message via Nixle:

Police activity @ on schoenborn btwn topanga cyn and canoga. Avoid area.

Topanga is currently involved in a police activity.

Please avoid this area for the next several hours. Avoid schoenborn btwn Topanga Cyn and Canoga.

As it turns out, someone decided to bring a hand grenade to the station so the LAPD could dispose of it.

On Saturday, LAPD wrote:

Man drops off grenade at Topanga Station

Last night (June 11, 2010) around 9:15 p.m. a man came into Topanga Station and advised that he wanted to turn in a grenade which he had in his car. Officers immediately shut down Schoenborn Street between Topanga Canyon and Canoga and conducted some limited evacuations in the area around the man’s car. The bomb squad responded and determined that the grenade was a “practice” grenade with a live training fuse. Bomb Squad personnel removed the training fuse and detonated it in the alley next to the station.

Police are occasionally called out when someone is cleaning out their garage and finds an old grenade. The best thing to do is not to touch the grenade, just call 911. If the grenade is live, it should not be handled by anyone other than a trained expert. LAPD’s bomb squad will respond out to the house to dispose of the grenade.

If you have an old firearm that you want to turn in to the police station, you can put it in the trunk of your car, take it to the police station, and have an officer remove it from your car. DO NOT take the firearm into the police station. We have curbside service and will take the firearm from your car for you.

Be safe out there.

I think, one could argue, that if you find yourself in the possession of a grenade you are going to have to endure high drama when disposing of it – well, that is if you decide to dispose of it safely and responsibly.  Ultimately, this means that the LAPD is going to swarm your house and shut down your entire neighborhood.  Alternatively, putting it in your trunk and taking it adjacent to the police station means that at least your neighbors won’t have to witness the drama.  Then again, in that scenario you could blow yourself up.  So, I guess it might be best to endure the public humiliation and call 9-1-1.

They have definitely amped up the use of Nixle recently, haven’t they?  Very good.  This situation with burglars is super depressing and scary as I’m sure many of you will agree.

Topanga Station sent out this notification on Wednesday via Nixle:

Woodland Hills burglary suspects arrested

Two burglary suspects were arrested in Woodland Hills shortly after breaking into a house. A diligent neighbor saw the two suspects entering the home in the 21000 block of Avenue San Luis and called 911. The police helicopter spotted the suspects’ car as they were fleeing the scene and directed officers to a shopping center on Ventura Boulevard, where the suspects were arrested. Due to the quick thinking of the neighbor in calling 911, the suspects did not get away with any property; police found that they had dropped the property they were intending to steal inside the house as they fled.

People are afraid and this is very real.  Monday’s arrests are not the end.

LAPD Topanga Station Writes on Wednesday:

Numerous residential burglaries occurred today in Chatsworth, Canoga Park & West Hills. Lock your doors and windows when you leave home. Be aware of strangers in your neighborhood and report suspicious activity immediately 8187564800 or in emergency call 911.

They also sent out these tips:

Burglary Prevention Tips

Lock all windows and doors – even if you live on the second floor of an apartment building. Lock sliding glass doors. Two-story residences – lock upstairs windows, sliding glass doors, and French doors. Remember suspects can climb onto a balcony.

Alarms: Use it! Add additional window security (example – pins in the window or wooden dowels in sliders)

Install motion detectors on all levels of the residence.

Never leave a ladder outside and accessible to a burglar.

Relocate valuables. Most burglars take property from the master bedroom.

Photograph and make a list of your valuables. Include serial numbers.

Vacation Strategies:
Let a trustworthy neighbor know that you are away. Ask that person to keep a lookout for your residence. Leave on one (1) light inside your home.

Mail and newspapers should be picked up or stopped.

Have a neighbor or friend park their vehicle in your driveway or parking slot.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Detective Theresa Gordon at 27033@lapd.lacity.org

Just received this newsletter from LAPD Topanga Station’s commanding officer Captain John A. Sherman detailing some recent violent events in our area.

He writes:

Dear Topanga Community Members,

Recently, the communities policed by the LAPD’s Topanga Community Police Station have been rocked by several violent incidents. As community leaders and police partners, I want to give you an overview of these incidents. There is not a lot of detail here, but it gives you a general idea of what has occurred in your neighborhoods.

First, on April 30, 2010, a violent domestic related double homicide occurred on the 7000 block of Eton Avenue in Canoga Park. This was a terrible tragedy for this long-time Canoga Park family. A family member was arrested and has been charged with both murders. On May 10, 2010, an officer involved shooting occurred at the Best Buy at Victory Boulevard and Owensmouth Avenue in Canoga Park. This incident closed down surrounding major intersection for several hours. Your Topanga police officers did an outstanding job ensuring that no innocent bystanders were injured. No officers were injured during the incident. The suspect was wanted in a domestic homicide that occurred in Long Beach. The suspect involved endangered the public by having a loaded firearm and ultimately he succumbed to his injuries as a result of the officer involved shooting.

On May 14, 2010, your community was rocked by yet another double murder, this time on the 6900 block of Remmet Avenue in Canoga Park. A young woman and her child were murdered. This investigation continues and we are working diligently to identify and arrest the suspect(s).

Clearly these three incidents are tragic and horrific acts of violence. They are shocking to your community. Please know that we do not believe these are at all related, or a series or trend of violence in any way. In two of the cases, the suspect will not be free to interact with society again. In the third case, we have many resources working on the case to solve the crime and bring the perpetrator or perpetrators to justice. If you or anyone you know has any information on this crime, please contact the Topanga Homicide Detectives at 818-756-4820.

The purpose of this email is to give you a brief overview of these significant events that have occurred in your community. I also want you to know that your officers and detectives assigned to Topanga have, and will continue, to work diligently and heroically to keep your community safe and to investigate these crimes to the fullest extent.

In fact, as of May 15, 2010, our total Part I crime is down 17.9 percent this year with 397 fewer crime victims than last year at this time.

As always please contact your Senior Lead Officer or me should you have any questions.

Captain John A. Sherman

Commanding Officer

Topanga Community Police Station

With regard to the victim of the murder suspect killed by police at Best Buy on Monday, this was published yesterday by CBS2:

Authorities have identified a Long Beach woman apparently killed by her estranged husband, who later died while exchanging gunfire with police in Woodland Hills.

Ivy Grace Bodkins, 29, died about 7:30 a.m. Monday, according to coroner’s Chief Craig Harvey.

Police discovered her body in a parking structure when they responded to a domestic dispute call at a condominium complex in the 200 block of West Ocean Boulevard.

Officers learned from a family member of the victim that the suspect had forced his estranged wife from the residence at gunpoint, leaving their 2-year-old son with a family member, according to Nancy Pratt of the Long Beach Police Department.

After the shooting, the 30-year-old man showed up at his uncle’s home in Woodland Hills, about 35 miles away, and said he had “killed his family,” Los Angeles police Lt. Dave Storaker said. He fled when his relative called police.

See the rest of the article here.

I find it cool that Daily News linked to my blog in the right hand media/reference bar on this article.  General consensus seems to be he fired at officers and they shot him.  Article mentions bullet holes visible in the walls of the Best Buy, but I drove by today and didn’t see them – however I wasn’t really looking.  I did take some pictures, which I will review later.  I have previous pictures of the external facade of the Best Buy and there are defects in the tile that appear to be bullet damage that were already there weeks ago.

Daily News writes:

CANOGA PARK — A man who fled to the San Fernando Valley Monday after allegedly killing his estranged wife in Long Beach was shot and killed by LAPD officers outside Best Buy, sending customers and employees scurrying for cover inside the giant electronics store.

The 11 a.m. shooting in front of the Canoga Park electronics store ended a manhunt that began three hours earlier in Long Beach, where the the suspect allegedly shot his wife in the head in a parking lot after abducting her from a nearby apartment.

The couple’s 2-year-old son was found in the apartment with a family member.

Police said the suspect, identified as Donovan Morris and in his 30s, drove to Woodland Hills to meet with an uncle. The uncle phoned authorities after Morris told him he had “killed his family,” said LAPD Lt. Dave Storaker.

Morris then left the Woodland Hills home in the 6600 block of Glade Avenue and made his way to the Best Buy at Victory Boulevard and Owensmouth Avenue.

It is unclear why Morris went to the store or what exactly happened when he got there. Some reports said Morris held a gun to his head, while witnesses at the scene said he engaged police in a brief firefight in front of the entrance to the store.

Shopper Tim Coyle, 33, of Winnetka said he was in the store getting his daughter’s laptop fixed when he heard police shouting outside.

“All of a sudden they (police) yelled `Shut the doors! Shut the doors!’ Then I hear gunshots,” Coyle said, adding a number of customers dove to the floor.

Coyle, who described himself as a gun aficionado, said he heard multiple gunshots from the suspect’s weapon as well as shots from police officers.

He said the customers were taken into a security room inside the building for safety.

Multiple shell casings and a handgun could be seen on the ground where the suspect’s body had lain and bullet holes peppered a wall of the building. The busy stretch of Victory boulevard was roped off to drivers and pedestrians for nearly three hours as officers scoured the crime scene.

Please visit the Daily News site to read the rest of this article.

Yesterday was the biggest day ever, as far as I can tell, for the Hills of Woodland site, with over 1,200 visitors and almost 50 new Facebook “likes” for the site’s FB page.  At least something good comes from this time of madness; people actually pay attention to what’s going on around them.

What’s also interesting, I feel, is all of the comments on this site and our Facebook page from people who lived here and left saying, “Wow this place has gone to ****.”  I don’t think that is true, but it does seem that some people are becoming increasingly desperate and violence is the result.

That being said, there was a good recap of an excruciatingly violent week in Los Angeles on the LA Times’ site today.

LA Times writes:

Homicide Report: 20 killings last week in L.A. County, 3 in Long Beach

Coroner’s officials reported 20 killings between May 4 and early Monday, bringing the year-to-date total to 242, according to data collected for the Times’ Homicide Report database.

The total was more than double the previous week and included several shootings that left two or more people dead. At least 19 involved guns. The cause of death in the most recent case, involving an unidentified Latino believed to be 25 to 30, was not immediately available.

At least four homicides were tied to family issues. Authorities said Diane Newlander, 73, was shot to death by her husband in Beverly Hills in an apparent murder-suicide.

Three members of one family in Hawaiian Gardens, a father, daughter and son, were gunned down in their home by the daughter’s ex-boyfriend. Joseph Mercado, 26, was charged Monday with three counts of murder in Los Angeles Superior Court. Authorities allege he went room by room targeting the mother of his child and her family. Mercado was shot and wounded by a sheriff’s deputy as he left the home about 4 a.m. May 6.

The city of Long Beach experienced three homicides over the week, all possibly gang-related, according to police. The three killings do not including the shooting death Monday of a woman on Ocean Boulevard in what authorities called a family dispute.

Lee Kinikini, 25, was shot to death Tuesday, May 4, in the 700 block of Harding Street, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.

Officers responded to reports of gunfire shortly before 5 p.m. and discovered Kinikini’s body with gunshot wounds to his upper body. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The preliminary investigation found that Kinikini was standing in a driveway when he was approached by an unknown suspect and shot several times, police said. The assailant was last seen fleeing south down a nearby alley on foot.

Joshua Gaither, 30, died Wednesday, May 5, in the 2100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, coroner’s officials said.

Police found Gaither on the sidewalk suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the upper and lower body in the early morning hours. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

And Mauricio Sotelo, 20, was shot to death Thursday, May 6, on the corner of 14th Street and Cedar Avenue, according to the coroner’s office.

Police responded to a shooting call about 1:11 a.m and found Sotelo suffering from a gunshot wound to his torso. Sotelo was taken to a hospital, where he later died, police said.

Investigators have neither a suspect nor a motive in the case.

The Times’ Homicide Report provides an interactive map and database of all homicides in Los Angeles County reported by the coroner since Jan. 1, 2007.

Photo hotlinked from KTLA.com

According to LAist the man’s name is Donovan Morris, and to other reports, he killed his child’s mother early this morning in Long Beach.  The KTLA article below pretty much has all of the details. See our photos from after the shooting in this post.

CBS2 writes (I’ve spliced together 2 versions of the story for more completeness):

Police say a gunman who kidnapped and killed the mother of his daughter in Long Beach has been killed by police in the San Fernando Valley.

Long Beach Sgt. Dina Zapalski says the man forced the woman from her condominium during a dispute and shot her in a parking garage, then fled.

Zapalski says investigators believe the man who died around 10 a.m. Monday outside a Best Buy store in Canoga Park was the same man who shot the woman nearly three hours earlier.

The suspect was killed after Los Angeles police responded to a report of a man with a gun in front of the store at Victory Boulevard and Owensmouth Avenue.

The armed suspect allegedly started shooting at officers and was shot several times, CBS 2/KCAL 9’s Mike Case reported.

After the shooting, the 30-year-old man showed up at his uncle’s home in Woodland Hills, about 35 miles away, and said he had “killed his family,” Los Angeles police Lt. Dave Storaker said.

Los Angeles police say the 30-year-old man drove about 35 miles to his uncle’s home in Woodland Hills but fled again when the relative called police.

LAist writes:

A man who is suspected of kidnapping and shooting a woman in Long Beach this morning, leaving her body in a parking structure, was shot during a standoff in front of a San Fernando Valley Best Buy a few hours later.

In what police believe was a family dispute, Donovan Morris apparently took a woman from her home at 7:35 a.m. before killing her. Long Beach Police notified the LAPD as they believed Morris was headed towards his uncle’s home in Woodland Hills. A standoff between police and Morris occurred at a nearby Best Buy in Canoga Park. Witnesses said they saw Morris holding a gun to his head.

KTLA has a photo of the man after he was shot, they write:

LONG BEACH — A gunman who police say kidnapped and killed the mother of his daughter in Long Beach was shot and fatally wounded by LAPD officers two and a half hours later outside a Best Buy store in Woodland Hills.

It all began when the unidentified woman was abducted from a home in the 200 block of West Ocean Boulevard early Monday morning, according to Long Beach police Sgt. Israel Ramierz.

The woman was found fatally shot about 7:30 a.m. in the 200 block of West Ocean Boulevard, officials said.

“She was taken there by force,” said Lisa Massacani, a spokeswoman for the Long Beach Police Department.

“It looks like it was a family dispute.”

According to Ramirez, officers received information that the suspect was still at the location.

“We immediately locked down the area and conducted a search using our SWAT members,” Ramirez said.

A few hours later, police in Woodland Hills received a call of a man with a gun outside a Best Buy store on Victory Boulevard and Owensmouth Avenue.

Los Angeles police say the 30-year-old man, identified as Donovan Morris, drove about 35 miles to his uncle’s home in Woodland Hills but fled again when the relative called police. Police say officers spotted his car and followed it to the store, where Morris man got out and was shot when he refused to drop a handgun.

Officers were trying to prevent him from entering the store when they opened fire, officials said.

Morris was taken to the hospital where he died.

It was not immediately clear whether the woman was Morris’ wife or his girlfriend, according to Sgt. Dina Zapalski. The couple’s daughter, who was in the condo, was not hurt. Zapalski did not know her age.

There were no reports of other injuries.