LAPD try to piece together attack that left SWAT officer dead

LOS ANGELES (AP) " Twenty-four hours after a siege ended in the deaths of a SWAT officer and four members of a family, investigators were still looking for answers in a house charred by fire and partially shredded by a battering ram.

Randal Simmons, 51, was the first SWAT officer to be killed in the line of duty since the elite LAPD group was formed in 1967. He left a wife and two children. Another SWAT officer, James Veenstra, also 51, was shot in the face and was in stable condition after surgery.

The officers were shot early Thursday as they stormed the home in Winnetka, a middle-income neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley after police received a 911 call from a man who said he had killed his family, authorities said.

The name of the gunman was not released, but a friend identified him as Edwin Rivera, 20.

Jose Ortiz, 21, said Rivera " a heavyset man who went by the nickname of "Hefty" " had been unemployed for about six months and had been spending a lot of time at home playing video games. Ortiz described his friend as "pretty much cool" but "weird in his own way."

"He was spaced out, in his own world," Ortiz said. He did not believe Rivera was on drugs or medication.

Rivera, whose first language was Spanish, struggled with English in school and he and Ortiz both dropped out before graduating, Ortiz said.

Ortiz, who lives a few blocks from the killing scene, said he and Rivera had planned to spend Thursday barbecuing meat and burning music onto CDs.

The Los Angeles Times and the Daily News, citing relatives and other sources, reported that Rivera killed his father, Gerardo Rivera, and two older brothers, Andy, 25, and Edgar, 23.

Police arrived at the home shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday after getting the 911 call. Inside, police found two men dead and another who appeared to be wounded, Assistant Chief Michael Moore said.

After Simmons and Veenstra officers were shot, police retreated with their wounded colleagues and the wounded man, who was pronounced dead outside.

Police Chief William Bratton said Simmons and his fellow officers acted appropriately.

"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.

Inspector General Andre Birotte of the Police Commission, the department's civilian overseer, said the officers' actions would be reviewed, but it appeared police handled the situation properly.

After the deadly barrage of gunfire, authorities 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.

LAPD Officer Janet Zumstein has been friends with Veemstra's wife since grade school. She said Veemstra is a lighthearted man who was 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."

Several SWAT officers stood outside the hospital until late in the day Thursday. One group of four gave each other consoling hugs and held back tears when asked about their colleagues. They declined to comment further.

Police said Rivera used mattresses to hide as they shot tear gas inside the home and moved walls to find him.

He made "every effort in our mind to further attack officers and ambush us," Moore said.

Hours later, police lobbed tear gas into the home and hit it repeatedly with a battering ram.

Less than 90 minutes later, the house was burning. The blaze could have started when a stun grenade was thrown inside, police said.

A police sniper eventually shot the gunman after 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."