Man Killed, Officer Hurt in Shoot-Out

A robbery suspect was killed and a Covina police officer was wounded Saturday in an exchange of gunfire, a Sheriff’s Department spokesman said.

Neither the dead man nor the wounded officer was immediately identified.

Sheriff’s Deputy Rafael Estrada said the incident began about 5:35 p.m. when Covina officers received a call that two men were attempting to rob a liquor store near the intersection of Azusa Avenue and Grondahl Street.

When the officers arrived, Estrada said, the suspects were gone. One of the men later was spotted nearby. The man fired at an officer and wounded him, Estrada said. The officer returned fire but the suspect fled into a condominium complex where he unsuccessfully tried to force his way into one of the units.

When that failed, Estrada said, the man apparently tried to hide in a car parked in a nearby garage. He was spotted by officers from Covina and West Covina. The suspect fired at the officers who returned fire and killed him, said Estrada.

Sheriff’s homicide investigators were called in to help with the investigation. The wounded policeman was listed in good condition at Covina Intercommunity Hospital with a gunshot wound in his right side.