Off-duty LAPD officer hit by stray bullet in Southern California gas station shooting

Jas Kang
·2 min read
4

An off-duty reserve officer with the Los Angeles Police Department was hit by a bullet during a shooting at a gas station in Bellflower.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says the incident occurred around 5:15 p.m. in the 9300 block of Somerset Boulevard.

When deputies arrived, they found the off-duty officer suffering from a gunshot wound. Authorities say the victim was not the intended target and the initial investigation reveals that this appeared to be a gang-related shooting where the LAPD member was caught in the crossfire.

The off-duty officer was taken to a nearby medical center, accompanied by a police escort, with non-threatening injuries.

  • A van behind police tape at a gas station in Bellflower. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says an off-duty LAPD officer was hit by a stray bullet in what appeared to be a gang-related shooting on May 5, 2024. (OnScene.TV)
    A van behind police tape at a gas station in Bellflower. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says an off-duty LAPD officer was hit by a stray bullet in what appeared to be a gang-related shooting on May 5, 2024. (OnScene.TV)
  • A van behind police tape at a gas station in Bellflower. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says an off-duty LAPD officer was hit by a stray bullet in what appeared to be a gang-related shooting on May 5, 2024. (OnScene.TV)
    A van behind police tape at a gas station in Bellflower. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says an off-duty LAPD officer was hit by a stray bullet in what appeared to be a gang-related shooting on May 5, 2024. (OnScene.TV)
  • This gas station was the scene of a shooting involving an off-duty LAPD officer in Bellflower. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department says it appears that the officer was caught in the crossfire of a gang-related shooting on May 5, 2024. (OnScene.TV)
    This gas station was the scene of a shooting involving an off-duty LAPD officer in Bellflower. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department says it appears that the officer was caught in the crossfire of a gang-related shooting on May 5, 2024. (OnScene.TV)
  • This gas station was the scene of a shooting involving an off-duty LAPD officer in Bellflower. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department says it appears that the officer was caught in the crossfire of a gang-related shooting on May 5, 2024. (OnScene.TV)
    This gas station was the scene of a shooting involving an off-duty LAPD officer in Bellflower. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department says it appears that the officer was caught in the crossfire of a gang-related shooting on May 5, 2024. (OnScene.TV)
  • Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigate a shooting at a gas station in Bellflower where an off-duty LAPD officer was struck by a bullet. LASD says it appears the officer was caught in the crossfire of a gang-related shooting on May 5, 2024. (OnScene.TV)
    Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigate a shooting at a gas station in Bellflower where an off-duty LAPD officer was struck by a bullet. LASD says it appears the officer was caught in the crossfire of a gang-related shooting on May 5, 2024. (OnScene.TV)

Delia Preciado works at a nearby business and heard the commotion while inside the store.

“I heard like eight shots,” she said to stringer news service OnScene.TV. “Those things don’t happen here. It’s kind of quiet. It’s scary.”

Video obtained by KTLA shows several deputies on the scene following the shooting. A dark-colored van is seen parked next to a gas pump with the trunk open and what appears to personal items on the ground.

It appears the suspect, or suspects in the shooting fled the area before authorities arrived.

No further information has been provided.

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