2 Victims of Sniper Still in Hospital in Serious Condition

Two victims remained hospitalized Saturday from the overnight shooting foray last week in which a Rancho Park man fired more than 100 rounds from an arsenal of weapons and wounded six motorists before taking his own life.

Officials at the UCLA Medical Center said Michael Gutierrez Sr., 21, was still in serious condition with a chest wound suffered as he drove with his family on Overland Avenue near National Boulevard shortly after 11 p.m. Wednesday.

Also listed in serious condition at the hospital was Ginger Meyer, 31, who underwent surgery after being hit in the face and jaw as she drove along Overland.

Four others, including Gutierrez’s wife and son and two men, were treated for their wounds Thursday morning and released.

Gunman Kills Himself

Police said the gunman, John Southey Wise, 38, took refuge at his home on Dunleer Place after his attacks on the motorists, holding off 80 police officers with gunfire for more than an hour before fatally shooting himself beside a back yard pond in which he kept one of his many pets, a small alligator.

Officers have declined to speculate on what motivated Wise, but they said his wife had recently left him and evidence in the home indicated involvement with narcotics. He was convicted of possession of dangerous drugs in 1973.

Neighbors described Wise as an unconventional man who was often preoccupied with a menagerie that included ducks, rabbits, the alligator and a boa constrictor. The neighbors said Wise had been distraught in recent weeks after the snake, which had escaped from the yard, was found dead in the street.

Animal control officers said Wise had called them the day before the shooting, complaining that a neighborhood cat had eaten about 100 of his rabbits during the last three years.

Wise asked if he could shoot the cat, but animal control officer Derrek Brown advised him that it is illegal to discharge a firearm in the city.