Inglewood Shooting Leaves Two Police Officers Wounded, Described As A ‘War Zone’

An Inglewood shooting left two police officers wounded when a domestic dispute turned into a shootout and then a prolonged hostage standoff.

The incident started at about 12:30 pm after the alleged gunman tried to drag his daughter, believed to be 14 years old, by her hair outside the home. When police responded to a call to come to the home, the 45-year-old man opened fire on them.

Officers fired back, with two of them suffering gunshot wounds. One male officer was shot but “saved by his bulletproof vest,” said Lt. Oscar Mejia of the Inglewood Police Department. Another female was hurt during the Inglewood shooting when she fell trying to help the wounded officer.

The Inglewood standoff ended at close to 9 pm when the suspect finally agreed to come out of his home.

An elderly neighbor, Esther Frazier, said she was home baking a cake for Thanksgiving when she heard the commotion. She walked outside to see what was happening and saw police officers banging on her neighbor’s door to get inside.

As Frazier went back inside she heard the gunfire erupt, and a bullet flew through her door.

“There were so many gunshots, oh my God, it was like you were in a war zone,” she said in a telephone interview while the Inglewood shooting was still taking place. “A shot came through the screen on my door.”

As she spoke, SWAT officers moved toward the house in a large armored vehicle.

Walter Maye, a 70-year-old neighbor, said there was a barrage of bullets during the Inglewood shooting.

“I went inside and that’s when I heard the gunshots,” Maye said. “I thought: God what is going on?” “There were quite a few shots; I’d say 15,” he added.

Residents near the home were evacuated during the Inglewood shooting and subsequent standoff.

Both officers wounded in the Inglewood shooting were taken to hospitals. The woman was released while the man was transferred to a second hospital for further treatment.