Torrance Officer Killed Outside Sports Store; Man Barricaded Inside

A Torrance police officer was shot to death outside a sporting goods shop late Thursday afternoon in a shoot-out with a man who later barricaded himself inside the store.

The identity of the slain officer, who police said was wearing a bullet-proof vest, was not immediately released.

According to Police Sgt. Wally Murker, a man walked into the Torrance Sports Shop at 1421 Marcelina Ave. shortly before 4 p.m. and confronted owners Gary Burnham and Terry Taylor, who were waiting on two customers.

When one of the owners asked if he could be of service, Murker said, the stranger pulled a .38-caliber Colt revolver from his belt and declared: “ ‘I’m an American, not a Mexican, not a peon.’ ”

Neither proprietor said anything to trigger the remark, Murker reported.

Removed Customers

Burnham managed to get to the telephone and call police on the 911 emergency line while Taylor hustled the two customers out of the store. Taylor then armed himself with one of the display weapons and crouched behind a shelf.

At that point, Murker said, the gunman fired one round at Taylor, who was not hit. Both owners ran out the back door.

Torrance police were arriving. Special weapons team members surrounded the building and police snipers positioned themselves on nearby rooftops.

The suspect, by then shirtless, suddenly appeared in the doorway and gunfire erupted.

One witness said he saw the gunman drive up in a truck and get out angrily, waving a gun around before entering the store.

Another witness, Don Sciarrotta, owner of three adjacent buildings, said officers arrived and began shouting through the doorway at the gunman, trying to get him to come outside.

“They kept yelling at him and yelling at him,” Sciarrotta said. “He fired first. Every policeman fired back.”

Officer Went ‘Limp’

The witness added: “I saw one cop go down. I think he got him in the chest. I saw another go limp.”

Sciarrotta said one policeman ran to the wounded officer and dragged him inside a dry-cleaning shop.

Surrounding businesses were evacuated and several blocks of the area were cordoned off.

Police said the gunman apparently took the shop’s phone off the hook, frustrating attempts by negotiators to talk him into surrendering as the standoff continued into the evening.

Murker said there were no immediate plans to storm the sporting goods store. He described it as a “wait-and-see” situation.

“We’re waiting to determine when it’s safe,” the sergeant said. “We could act a minute from now or we could be here all night . . . there are a lot of weapons and ammunition in that store.”