Murder Suspect Slain After Wounding Officer

A murder suspect was killed by return fire after he shot at Los Angeles police officers during a chase through an Elysian Park neighborhood on Wednesday evening, authorities said.

The suspect was hiding in a trash bin in the 2400 block of Meadowvale Avenue about 8 p.m. when he popped out briefly with two guns and opened fire on the officers, hitting one of them in the thigh, said Sgt. John Pasquariello, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department.

The officers shot back, but did not know if they had wounded him. About 10:45, officers searched the bin and found the unidentified man’s body, police said. He had been shot several times during the exchange of gunfire. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

The wounded officer, whose name was not released, did not receive life-threatening injuries, said Sgt. Zimmie Williams of the Northeast Division. He was taken to County-USC Medical Center, where he was listed in fair condition.

The shooter was a suspect in a slaying in the Northeast Division, Pasquariello said. He was also suspected of shooting at a California Highway Patrol officer last week. The officer was not injured.

About 20 units were in the neighborhood at Riverside Drive and the Los Angeles River near Elysian Park after the shooting. The Wednesday incident began when two officers spotted the man in an SUV and began pursuing him near Elysian Park, Williams said.

The man jumped out of the car and officers chased him through the neighborhood. He hid in the trash bin as the officers tried to negotiate with him, Pasquariello said.