#Gunman who shot California deputy killed in shootout with police

Enlarge Image

The alleged shooter, Mason James Lira
Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office/San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office via AP

A California gunman suspected of shooting a deputy in the face and murdering a homeless man was killed during a shootout with police Thursday afternoon.

The alleged shooter, Mason James Lira, 26, sent police on a massive manhunt, with residents placed under lockdown, after he first opened fire on the police station the central Californian city of Paso Robles.

Lira allegedly shot Deputy Nicholas Dreyfus, 28, at the precinct before fleeing the scene, triggering a multi-agency search. Police believe that Lira also fatally shot a 58-year-old transient man who had been camping out at the Paso Robles train station.

On Thursday afternoon, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office issued a shelter-in-place order for a two-mile radius of Paso Robles as gunfire rang out at officers searching for Lira.

Three officers were wounded in the shooting, including an Arroyo Grande was struck by the gunfire around 2:10 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office. The other officers’ injuries were unspecified.

Eventually, police responding in the area encountered Lira hiding nearby in the riverbed of the Salinas River. As they attempted to take him into custody, he fled toward Highway 101 and was shot by law enforcement officers around 4 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.

Lira was pronounced dead at the scene. He was found with two handguns police believe were stolen from a commercial burglary in the City of San Luis Obispo a few days before Lira began his shooting spree Wednesday.

Lira’s father, Jose Lira, told The Associated Press that Lira suffered from mental illness and he believes Lira opened fire on the police station early Wednesday in a suicide attempt.

Jose said his son had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, Asperger’s syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He said his son has been in and out of jail and clinics, and often is under the misconception that he is a special agent or a soldier.

“He lives in a fantasy world,” Jose Lira said. “He doesn’t have a beef with the police.”