What we know so far about Roseville shooting that killed hostage, injured CHP officer
One person is dead and three more people were injured in a Roseville shooting and hostage situation early Thursday afternoon.
Here’s what we know so far, as of Friday afternoon:
When did the shooting occur?
The shooting happened at roughly 12:30 p.m. Thursday, April 6.
Roseville police responded to a call from California Highway Patrol that one of its task force officers had been shot.
Police in armored vehicles were in the area shortly after, as well as multiple ambulances.
Where did the shooting happen?
The shooting happened in Roseville at Mahany Park on Pleasant Grove Boulevard.
Bystanders were hunkered down at the adjacent Roseville Fire Department Station 5. Multiple locations were briefly on lockdown, including a school, a library and a fitness center.
The scene was near Woodcreek High School and the Roseville Aquatics Complex.
Classes were not in session at the high school because of spring break, but the campus was briefly locked down for staff inside the building. Children attending a day camp in the area were moved to Quail Glen Elementary School for pickup by parents.
Several businesses are located in the area of Thursday’s incident including the Roseville Utility Exploration Center, Mahany Fitness Center and Martha Riley Community Library.
Across the street is an apartment complex and a plaza with a Raley’s supermarket, Starbucks and banks.
What we know about the suspect
Roseville police identified the suspect as Eric J. Abril, 35, of Roseville.
Abril is currently hospitalized and has not been officially booked into the Placer County Jail.
What do we know about the victims?
One person died and three people were injured, including Abril.
When Roseville police and allied enforcement agencies arrived at Mahany Park on Thursday afternoon, the suspect was found armed with a gun. He allegedly fired it at officers as he fled.
The suspect then allegedly took two adult victims hostage and allegedly shot them at the park. One died on the scene and the other was transported to the hospital with what looked like non-life-threatening injuries.
Roseville police identified the deceased hostage as James MacEgan of Roseville. The second victim has been identified as his spouse.
The suspect surrendered to officers and was taken into custody before 1:25 p.m. He was taken to the hospital for gunshot wounds.
CHP officer shot was treated for his injuries and is in stable condition. He has yet to be identified, but Roseville police thanked firefighters at Station 5 for performing medical aid at the scene.
What led to the shooting?
The incident began with a CHP task force officer attempting to serve an arrest warrant on a suspect, Roseville police Capt. Kelby Newton told reporters.
Newton did not reveal the nature of the warrant or the details of the CHP officer’s interaction with the suspect, but said law enforcement rushed to the park after the CHP officer radioed in that he had been shot.
The suspect was subject to an “ongoing investigation.” Once CHP officers contacted the suspect near the park to serve the warrant, he fled on foot into the park, according to CHP.
Witness accounts of the shooting
Ben Mercado, 13, was with friends at the batting cages at Mahany Park when they heard gunfire. He said he saw officers arrive and yell “Police. Get down!” to a man in a black trench coat.
“And then, they screamed that he had a gun,” the eighth-grader said. “Then, me and my friends just dropped down.”
“Roughly 20, 25 shots” to start with, Mercado said. He believed what he heard was a shootout between the suspect and police. “We dropped down, got into a safe spot in the cage.”
Mercado said he and his friends crawled on the ground toward police, who had them run to a nearby parking lot. He said he heard roughly another 15 to 20 gunshots after leaving the batting cages for a total of about 40 shots.
Ben’s mom, Nicole Mercado, is a nurse and was at work when her friends started texting her, asking her whether her son was at Mahany Park.
“They hang out here all the time,” Mercado said about her son and his friends. “I was freaked out.”
Around 12:40 p.m., she received a text message from her son saying he and his friends were just in the middle of a shootout.
