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Lynwood gunman who died in standoff was unprovoked, officials say

Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies are gathered in Lynwood after a deputy-involved shooting Tuesday.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
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A man who wounded a Los Angeles County sheriff’s detective in Lynwood Tuesday before barricading himself in an apartment was not part of the investigation taking place at the time, officials said.

The alleged gunman, identified as Kerry Wesson, 45, was subsequently killed by a SWAT team as he exited his apartment carrying a handgun Tuesday afternoon.

Why Wesson opened fire is still under investigation, officials said. A pair of detectives had just finished speaking with someone in an apartment complex in the 12200 block of Santa Fe Avenue and were headed back to their car when Wesson “exited his home nearby and shot at the detectives with a handgun,” officials said.

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One of the detectives was hit in the shoulder and is listed in stable condition. The other detective was not hit.

After opening fire, Wesson ran back into his apartment, where he holed up for two hours while a SWAT team surrounded the area and a crisis negotiator tried to persuade him to come out.

When he did emerge, he was carrying a loaded semi-automatic handgun and was shot and killed, officials said. No one else was injured.

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