PASO ROBLES — A sheriff’s deputy was wounded Wednesday while responding to a report that a gunman was firing shots at the Paso Robles police station, authorities said. The motive was not known.
The shooter remained on the loose and a search was underway in the downtown area of the city of Paso Robles, said Tony Cipolla, spokesman for the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office. People in the area were urged to shelter in place.
At 1:56 p.m. Wednesday, Paso Robles police tweeted that a search in downtown had concluded without locating the suspected shooter. Law enforcement also said it was seeking any video of the shooting.
Deputy Is in Serious Condition
The gunman fired at the Paso Robles Police Department around 3:45 a.m., he said. The gunfire occurred over a span of some minutes but details were unclear, Cipolla said.
The wounded deputy was hospitalized in serious but stable condition, Cipolla said.
The Paso Robles Police Department tweeted that shooting stopped by 4 a.m.
Officers Targeted in California
The shooting follows two recent deadly shootings targeting officers in California.
Santa Cruz County sheriff’s Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, 348, was killed and another deputy was injured Saturday in the community of Ben Lomond in an attack allegedly carried out by an Air Force sergeant armed with homemade bombs, an AR-15 rifle and other weapons.
Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart said the suspect, Staff Sgt. Steven Carrillo was intent on killing officers.
The FBI is investigating whether Carrillo, 32, has links to the killing of a federal security officer who was shot outside the U.S. courthouse in Oakland during a protest against police mistreatment of black people on May 29.
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