Long Beach Officer Slain; Partner, Bystander Wounded

A Long Beach police officer died early Sunday after a hail of automatic-weapon fire that wounded his partner and a pregnant woman struck by bullets that pierced the walls of her home, authorities reported.

The officer is the first to be shot to death in this port city in almost 25 years, sending a shock wave through the Long Beach Police Department, which has about 900 members.

Daryle Black, 33, of the city’s gang unit, was fatally wounded about 11 p.m. Saturday as his unmarked patrol car came under attack in the 1900 block of Lime Avenue, an area known for gang activity in north Long Beach. The 6-year veteran was pronounced dead of his wounds about 12:30 a.m. Sunday at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.

Police said Black and his partner came under intense gunfire as they finished a call and resumed their patrol, heading down Lime Avenue. They were riding together in the unmarked car and wearing police raid jackets as well as bulletproof vests.

“There was no warning. One or more suspects simply opened fire, striking them as they sat in their police car,” said Sgt. Steve Filippini, a department spokesman. No arrests had been made by Sunday evening.

Black’s partner, Officer Rick Delfin, 41, managed to drive their car out of the line of fire and yell for help over the radio although he was wounded in the head and leg, police said.

Bullets also struck a 45-year-old pregnant woman after they penetrated her home on Lime Avenue. Authorities described the woman, whom they would not identify, as a bystander.

Delfin was listed in good condition in the intensive care unit at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. The woman and her 7-month fetus were reported in stable condition at St. Mary Medical Center.

Fighting back tears at a Sunday morning news conference, Police Chief Jerome E. Lance said Black was “a very good officer, a polite officer and a professional officer. He had a great career ahead of him. It’s a tough day for all of us.”

Mayor Beverly O’Neill described the shootings as a tragedy and a senseless act of violence. She said she was confident that the killer or killers will be arrested. “We are devastated by the death of Officer Black, and the serious injury to Officer Delfin,” the mayor said. “Our heart goes out to their families.”

After the shooting, police cordoned off nine square blocks around Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway in their search for suspects. The intersection soon became filled with patrol cars and a mobile command center to coordinate more than 150 officers.

Joining the response were the city’s SWAT team, the search and rescue unit, a police helicopter, several canine teams and Sheriff’s Department units.

Throughout the night and morning, traffic was barred from the area and residents could not reach their homes. Small groups of onlookers and those who were turned away gathered behind the police tape and barricades before dawn Sunday.

“The police advised all our customers to stay inside,” said Bob Franklin, a manager of the nearby Colonial Motel. “The helicopters were flying over us all night long.”

Police said the officers did not fire back. They were not making an arrest, serving a warrant or answering another call at the time they were hit.

“They were just driving down the street,” Lance said.

Police said bullets went through the walls of the woman’s house, hitting her several times.

“I’m sorry it happened. She’s a very nice person and good to everybody,” said an acquaintance, who requested that his name not be used. “She was a friend of my mother and used to take care of my aunt’s children.”

Although several people had been detained for questioning, there have been no arrests, Lance said. Investigators, he added, do not know the motive or how many people were involved.

Police described the gun as an automatic weapon but declined to release the caliber or type. The chief also stopped short of calling the shooting an ambush, saying there were some factors that he could not reveal that might indicate something different.

To assist in the investigation, police have established a 24-hour telephone line for the public. Anyone with information related to the shooting can call (877) 636-3300.

“We have investigators working on this, along with a significant amount of staff from our department,” Lance said. “They’ve been on it all night and they will stay on it until we apprehend the suspects.”

Officers are trying to determine whether there is any connection to the death of Billy James Johnson, 30, of Long Beach, who was shot to death by police Friday evening. Authorities said Johnson drew a gun on a patrol officer during a chase on foot in the 400 block of Pacific Coast Highway, less than a mile from where Black was fatally wounded.

Retaliation “is possible,” Lance said, “but I wouldn’t want to say that’s what happened because we just don’t know at this point.”

Black, who was not married, was born in Grand Rapids, Mich. He joined the Long Beach Police Department more than six years ago after working for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for four years and serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. He attained the rank of corporal.

“It’s been a long time since one of our officers was shot to death,” Lance said. “We have had officers die in the line of duty before, but a lot of people in the department have never gone through this.”

The last time a Long Beach officer was shot to death was in 1976, when Gary O. Elkins was fatally shot on the front porch of a home while investigating a public disturbance.

A year earlier, officers Franke N. Luis and Robert R. Birdsall were shot to death in separate incidents, police said. Luis was killed while trying to investigate a disturbance call. A burglary suspect, who was hiding in an oil field, shot Birdsall as the officer searched for him.

According to police records, two other Long Beach officers--one in 1981 and the other in 1996--have died in traffic accidents while on duty. Another officer, Brian Watt, narrowly escaped death in 1997 after a five-time felon shot him in the head.

“It has been difficult for all of us,” said Officer Jana Blair. “We try to focus on our jobs. A lot of us are going to feel different effects at different times over the next few days.”

Later Sunday, members of the Long Beach Fire Department tended to the police officers memorial that sits between City Hall and police headquarters downtown. They cleaned up the grounds and planted new flowers.

“We appreciate it,” Blair said.