A Fresno police sergeant was attacked Saturday evening and shot multiple times during a homicide investigation but continued to pursue the suspect despite being injured, city officials said Monday morning.
On Saturday, the sergeant responded to a call in south Fresno where police were investigating a homicide, Fresno Interim Police Chief Mindy Casto said Monday. The sergeant was sitting in his patrol car working on his laptop, when the gunman, Andy Morales, 40, rolled into the sergeant's car and fired 223 rounds from an AR rifle at the sergeant before driving away.
He said that even though they were shot, the sergeant then chased the suspect in a car to another area while he was broadcasting on the radio asking for help. A 49-second gun battle broke out between the sergeant and Morales, the chief said, before two other officers arrived and fired at the suspect, who died during the shootout. Responding officers administered first aid to the sergeant and applied a tourniquet before he was taken to hospital, where he is recovering.
“The sergeant was sane before he succumbed to his injuries and panicked and called an ambulance for himself and the suspect,” Casto said. “So that's very remarkable to me.”
The sergeant, who has not been identified, was shot at least twice in the legs, wounded in the pot, Casto said, and other bullets hit the car seat and his taser. This was the first police shooting this year. At a press conference on Monday, the agency showed a photo of a patrol car riddled with bullet holes.
“I can't believe that — I mean, I can't believe it, but it's amazing,” Casto said. “He knew he was shot. He turns on his body camera. He complains that he is chasing the suspect, then he starts his car and chases,” said Casto. The agency plans to eventually release the body camera footage, he said.
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, who served as police chief for 18 years, said he knew the sergeant, a 20-year veteran of the department, and had previously provided him with protection information.
“If you look at the number of rounds that were fired at close range and the number of rounds that hit that patrol car, and the rounds that ended up hitting the sergeant in both of his legs, we were very lucky, not here today we are talking about the death of a police officer,” said Dyer.
In April, a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy survived after being shot while riding a motorcycle issued by the department. The shooting sparked a massive manhunt, and the authorities arrested a suspect accused of trying to kill a police officer.
Morales, the gunman in Saturday's incident, has a previous conviction for assault with a deadly weapon with a bat and previous arrests for DUI, domestic violence and weapons-related charges, Casto said. The AR rifle Morales used was illegally seized, authorities said. The center is still waiting for a toxicology report to determine if Morales had consumed drugs, but investigators found a controlled substance near him, Casto said.
The investigation following the shootout revealed that Morales was a suspect in the murder of the sergeant he was there to investigate, said Casto. He was friends with the victim, Mario Ternora, who was found dead in his home from gunshot and stab wounds in a “very brutal” crime scene.
Morales was a known gang member, he said, but investigators may not fully understand Ternora's motive for the killing or why he shot the sergeant.
The community where the incident happened has information, said Casto. Even the policeman is talking about returning to work.
“I think he's in the early stages of recovery, and he's ready to go back to work,” she said. “He's talking about that.”
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