Photo submitted by the Duke family
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A gunman killed three apparent relatives and a veteran SWAT officer and wounded another officer in the face before police shot him to death early Thursday in a home that erupted in flames during a long standoff. A woman escaped the home near the end of the siege.
Two other SWAT officers received minor fragment wounds in a barrage of gunfire, Police Chief William Bratton said. The chief said the gunman had a handgun and a shotgun.
There was no immediate explanation of what triggered the bloodbath in the modest San Fernando Valley home, leading to the first line-of-duty death in the 41 years of the Los Angeles Police Department's elite SWAT team.
Earlier Thursday, Bratton said investigators going through the house believed there may be an additional victim inside, but coroner's officials said no additional bodies were found.
Assistant Chief Ed Winter of the coroner's office said the identities of the dead would most likely be released Friday morning after relatives were notified.
The gunman was killed about 11 hours after barricading himself in the house and telling police in a 911 call he had killed three relatives, police said.
The shooting occurred at the home of a man, his wife and their three sons, said Armando Rivera, who identified himself as a cousin.
The slain officer was Randal Simmons, 51, who left a wife and two children. His colleague James Veenstra, 51, was in stable condition after surgery, said Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell. Veenstra's wife is a police captain.
"Today's a sad and tragic day here in the city of Los Angeles," said an emotional Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who revealed that both officers, 20-year veterans of SWAT, were assigned to protect his children last year.
Veenstra had three hours of surgery at Northridge Medical Center to remove fragments of the bullet that went through his lip and shattered his jaw, said Dr. Gabriel Aslanian.
"There was significant splintering of the left part of his lower jaw, so he will require subsequent reconstructive surgery," the trauma surgeon said.
Veenstra's prognosis "should be very good," Aslanian said, but he said the officer was fortunate because the bullet could have gone into his brain or brain stem.
"It could have been a fatal shot," he said.
Capt. Michelle Veenstra told KCAL-TV her husband was doing well but his mouth was wired shut.
"He's exactly what we all expect a police officer to be," she said. "He's a man of honor, integrity and strength. He lays his life down on a daily basis for all of Los Angeles."
Bratton said entering the home was a proper SWAT tactic.
"If there's a belief that a hostage is in danger, they will seek to make entry. ... SWAT did what we would have expected them to do," the chief said.
Police Commission Inspector General Andre Birotte said preliminary information gave no hint of problems with police actions, but added that the department will conduct a complete review of the shooting, consistent with policy.
According to preliminary reports it "seems everything was done by the book, according to protocols," said Birotte, who spent about 12 hours at the scene. "It was a profound, tragic incident."
The Police Commission functions as the civilian overseer of the Police Department.
A SWAT team surrounded the house minutes after the 911 call about 9 p.m. Wednesday. About three hours later, officers entered the one-story home and were met with a barrage of gunfire, authorities said.
Inside, they found two males dead and another who might have been alive, Assistant Chief Michael Moore said.
After the two officers were shot, police retreated with their wounded colleagues and the other person, who was pronounced dead outside.
Police did not identify the three men, but Moore said they might have been related to one another or to the family that lived in the house.
Authorities then located family members of the gunman who asked him to surrender.
"Unfortunately the suspect had absolutely no contact with us, made no effort to surrender," Moore said.
Police called to the gunman over loudspeakers, addressing him as Edwin or Edward, said Marcy Spencer, 35, who lives across the street and was evacuated at about 1:30 a.m.
"They said ... 'You need to answer the phone. We need to talk to you. I hear the phone ringing. Pick it up,"' Spencer said.
Hours later, police lobbed tear gas into the home and hit it repeatedly with a battering ram.
Around that time, a woman ran from the rear of the residence and was rescued. Police believe she had been hiding in the home during the entire ordeal.
Her name and relationship to the suspect was not released.
Police said the suspect used mattresses to hide as they shot tear gas inside the home and mechanically moved walls to find him.
He made "every effort in our mind to further attack officers and ambush us," Moore said.
Less than 90 minutes later, the house was on fire. The blaze could have started when a stun grenade was thrown inside, police said.
The gunman died in another exchange of gunfire.
"When you look at the amount of shots fired and the threat to this community, we're very thankful SWAT intervened," McDonnell said. "It could have been much worse."
Several SWAT officers stood outside Northridge Medical Center until late in the day. A group of four gave each other consoling hugs and teared up when asked about their colleagues. They declined to comment.
Officer Janet Zumstein, who was manning a police line, said Veenstra is a lighthearted man who is passionate about his work.
"He's a funny guy, got a good sense of humor," Zumstein said. "He's a good police officer and a good husband."
McDonnell described Simmons and Veenstra as easygoing, focused and professional.
"You wouldn't find two guys in better physical condition, two guys who are better tacticians. They are the ideal, if you will," he said.
LAPD spokesman Richard French said the 911 tape would not be immediately released.
Dayton man worked with slain officer
Staff report
A retired Los Angeles police sergeant who now lives in Dayton once supervised the two officers shot Thursday. One of the officers was killed during the SWAT raid in the San Fernando Valley.
Charlie Duke, former candidate for Lyon County Sheriff, said Randal Simmons, 51, played football at Washington State University, and then did a professional stint with the Dallas Cowboys, before signing on with the Los Angeles Police Department more than 20 years ago. Simmons was shot in the neck as he made entry into a home where a man claimed to have killed his family members. Officer James Veenstra, 51, was shot in the face but is expected to recover.
"Randy was just a dynamic individual both personally and professionally. A devoted family guy. Devoted to his kid," said Duke. "I remember holding his little baby."
He last saw Simmons three years ago when the two ran into each other at an event in Los Angeles.
Duke called the LAPD SWAT team "probably one of the most elite tactical units in the United States.
"I'm still trying to comprehend what happened and why."
He said he was also close with Veenstra and Veenstra's wife, who is a captain with the LAPD.
Simmons was the first SWAT officer killed in the line of duty in the unit's 41-year-history, officials said.
Duke said he will attend Simmons' funeral.
"If I have to walk I'll go to it," he said.