Sketch of Suspect in Killing of Compton Officers Is Released

The biggest break yet in the murder of two Compton policemen was announced Tuesday after a reluctant eyewitness overcame fears to provide information for a composite drawing of the man suspected of shooting the officers. Police also revealed that one of the four men they sought last week for questioning may have been the shooter’s accomplice.

Investigators would not release the name of the suspected shooter, but they said that 19-year-old Orlando Raymond Ford may have assisted in the Feb. 22 killings.

Ford, a Compton resident associated with the Fruit Town Piru gang, is also wanted for the killing of a rival gang member last year. He is the only one of four men sought for questioning who has not turned himself in. It has not been revealed whether the man suspected of killing Officers Kevin Michael Burrell and James Wayne MacDonald was a gang member.

“At this point, we definitely believe the Pirus are involved,” said Police Sgt. Reggie Wright. “But how involved, we don’t know.”

The witness came forward one month after Burrell, 29, and MacDonald, 22, were gunned down following what appeared to be a routine traffic stop.

According to police, the pivotal eyewitness saw the suspect as Burrell was checking him for weapons on the driver’s side of a late-model red Chevrolet pickup at Rosecrans Boulevard and Dwight Avenue. Moments later, another passing motorist saw Burrell and MacDonald attempting to subdue a man near the back of the truck, Wright said. Burrell and MacDonald were shot and knocked to the ground, then both were shot in the head at close range.

The suspected shooter is described as a black male with a fade-style haircut, age 19 to 25, of medium build and about 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-10.

A reward of $46,000 has been offered for information leading to the killer’s arrest and conviction. Another $1,000 is offered for information leading to the identification and arrest of the suspect in the composite drawing.