Police Hunt Killer in City’s Canyons : Masked Gunman Killed 1 Man in Alley, Wounded Another After Street Robbery

A robber fleeing police shot two men in University Heights on Friday night, killing one, and then eluded officers who swarmed over the area and caught sight of him twice but were unable to capture him.

Assisted by dogs and three helicopters, more than 150 police officers combed the steep canyons north of Washington Street near California 163 and the nearby neighborhood late into the night. A SWAT team stood by in case the man took a hostage in his attempt to escape. Police officials used the broadcast media to warn University Heights residents not to open their doors to anyone.

“This canyon down here literally has thousands of places to hide,” Lt. Chuck Ellis said about the manhunt.

The dead man was Gordon Wells, according to Debbie Wells, his daughter-in-law. She said he had lived at 3972 Cleveland Ave. for 44 years. He was a retired carpenter.

The second shooting victim, John Copeland, 36, was reported in critical condition after being shot in the neck. He underwent surgery at Mercy Hospital.

The incident began about 6 p.m. in the 1400 block of Van Buren Avenue, a few blocks north of Washington. There the gunman, wearing a dark ski mask, robbed a woman at gunpoint near her home. She immediately called police, who responded in time to see the man get into a car, Ellis said.

After leading police on a chase for several blocks, in which he weaved back and forth across median strips and had a blowout in the front left tire of his car, the man pulled his silver Honda Accord into the parking lot of Glendale Federal Savings and Loan at University Avenue and Park Boulevard.

As he jumped from the car and fled on foot, the man began shedding his clothes, including a plaid shirt and a yellow shirt. The pursuing officers lost sight of him as he jumped over a retaining wall and then scaled a 10-foot-high redwood fence, police said.

The man ran to the 3900 block of Cleveland Avenue, where the two neighbors were talking in the alley behind their homes. He shot them both with an automatic pistol, killing Wells.

About 10 p.m., police regrouped and led police dogs along the areas where the killer was known to have run, giving the dogs a second chance to catch his scent. Officers began a door-to-door search of businesses and homes in the University Heights neighborhood, not far from the Sears store.

Police described the shooting suspect as being gangly, about 6 feet tall. In addition to being without a shirt, they said he may have been barefoot, as shoes were found in his abandoned car. He was believed to be wearing blue jeans.

Police Officer Karen Eiben, who with her partner was the first to chase the man, said the police did not shoot at the man when they had the opportunity to because at that time he had not shot anyone.

Contributing to this story were Times staff writers Kathleen H. Cooley and Tom Greeley.