Man Killed in Gun Battle With Police

A man who wounded two policemen died Sunday morning during a gun battle that ended a four-hour siege at a South-Central Los Angeles apartment, authorities said.

Jerry Ross, 45, was shot several times, but police said it will take an autopsy to determine whether he died of bullet wounds or from inhaling smoke from a fire ignited by smoke canisters that police fired into the apartment.

Threatened Friend

Police were called to Ross’s apartment at 857 W. 43rd St. at about 3 a.m. after Ross threatened a woman friend with a handgun and fired several shots into a wall, Lt. William D. Hall said. The woman was not injured.

When Ross, who was deaf, failed to respond to the officers, Hall said they opened the door with a key given them by the woman. Ross began shooting, wounding Officer Thomas McMullen in the hand.

A Special Weapons and Tactics team arrived, and when Ross failed to emerge after tear gas was fired into his apartment, police forced the front door. Ross wounded another officer, Randy Walker, who was shot in the shoulder. More gunfire was exchanged, and more tear gas and smoke canisters were fired into the apartment.

Members of the SWAT team found Ross dead when they entered the burning apartment and put out the fire.

McMullen was treated at a local hospital and released. Walker was in stable condition at County-USC Medical Center.