Gunman in deadly LA shooting rampage killed by police

LOS ANGELES — Police in Los Angeles fatally shot a man suspected of shooting at least five people, killing two of them -- including a newlywed -- authorities said.

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The gunman, whose victims included two Asian men, led police on an hours-long chase that ended in a standoff on a freeway overpass in Fullerton, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Update 12:25 p.m. EDT April 28: Police identified the gunman as Carlos Lopez, 50, of Los Angeles, KTLA reported. Police said a motive has not been identified.

Original report: Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore told the civilian Police Commission on Tuesday morning that a Los Angeles Police Department SWAT officer fatally shot the gunman, the newspaper reported. The exchange of gunfire came after police used their vehicles to pin the man’s white Jeep Cherokee SUV on the 91 freeway, KTLA reported.

“It’s a disturbing incident of a shooting spree,” Moore told reporters.

The gunman, who was not identified, was described as being in his late 40s or early 50s, KTLA reported. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the television station. A weapon was recovered in his vehicle, according to police.

“This appears to be random acts of violence,” police spokesperson Lt. Raul Jovel told reporters in Fullerton. “We have no idea what precipitated this.”

The first shooting occurred at about 1 a.m. PDT when the gunman opened fire on a vehicle, KCBS reported. The victim was taken to an area hospital with minor injuries, the television station reported. Moore said the victim had a dash camera in his car that captured the license plate number of the gunman, the Times reported.

Several minutes later, a second shooting occurred in a Starbucks drive-thru, KCBS reported. A pair of newlyweds sat in line at the drive-thru in their blue Mustang when the gunman backed into their car and then pulled up alongside them, KTLA reported. After an exchange of words, the gunman opened fire on the couple, killing Alexis Carbajal, 24, Moore said.

The man’s wife also was injured, but police were unsure whether she was injured by gunfire or from shattered glass, according to the Times.

About 15 minutes later, the gunman fatally shot an Asian driver, Mingzhi Zhu, 42, of South Pasadena, Moore said. Zhu was stopped at a red light in his black Escalade when the gunman pulled up next to him and fired several shots inside the vehicle, KTLA reported.

Zhu was an Uber driver and was on his way to pick up a rider, the company said in a statement.

“The senseless acts of violence that took the lives of two innocent people, including Mr. Mingzhi Zhu who was on his way to pick up a rider, is heartbreaking,” Uber said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with those who lost their lives and their families.”

A fifth shooting was reported when the gunman opened fire at a white Tesla, KNBC reported. The driver was not injured, the television station reported.

After pinning the suspect’s car on the freeway, police called for the man to surrender, KTLA reported. When he refused, a SWAT team was called to the scene to negotiate with him, police said.

Using the gunman’s license plate number, police found a family member and had the person call to try and persuade the man to surrender, the television station reported.

“At one point, they tried to have the suspect talk to a family member, that was unsuccessful,” Jovel told reporters. “At one point the suspect fired at the officers, resulted in an officer-involved shooting. The suspect was hit by gunfire and was pronounced dead at (the) scene by the local fire department.”

The shooting by the SWAT officer was the 15th by LAPD personnel in 2021, the Times reported. Six have been fatal.

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