Roofer Is Mistakenly Shot by Deputies

Sheriff’s deputies shot and wounded a roofer whom they mistook for a gunman during a chaotic shooting Wednesday near Carson that left the alleged gunman dead, a sheriff’s spokesman said.

The roofer was shot in the arm as he and another worker spread tar on the roof of the Melody Liquor Store near Normandie Avenue and Torrance Boulevard. Moments earlier, deputies had shot and killed a man who confronted them in the street with an assault rifle.

The incident occurred about 9:20 a.m. when a woman called police to say her son, Salvador Andres Mosqueda, 31, of Carson had armed himself and told her, “It’s time to die,” said sheriff’s homicide Capt. Ray Peavy.

Deputies arriving at her home saw the son driving away. They followed him about a mile on Normandie before he made a U-turn and faced four approaching patrol cars.

Peavy said Mosqueda got out and drew an assault-type rifle with a drum magazine capable of holding 75 rounds.

It was unclear whether he fired at the deputies before they shot him in the chest.

As that occurred, deputies in a helicopter saw two men “bobbing up and down” on a roof behind the liquor store sign, and warned the others, Peavy said. Deputies on the ground then fired toward the roof, striking the worker.

Authorities later determined that the two men had been spreading tar on the roof, and that a tar mop might have been mistaken for a rifle, Peavy said.

The shootings sent bystanders scrambling, and left Mosqueda’s car riddled with bullet holes. The busy street corner and sidewalk contributed to the confusion of the situation, authorities said.

“It could have been a lot worse,” Peavy said. “Unfortunately, when these shootings take place, there is a lot of confusion. In this case, the confusion resulted in an innocent person being shot.”

The shooting is being reviewed by the Sheriff’s Department’s internal affairs bureau and the Office of Independent Review, its watchdog agency. The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office will also review the matter.

Hagos Lulseged, who owns the liquor store, said he was stocking the beer cooler when he heard two loud shots.

“It was loud, like boom, boom,” Lulseged said. “I thought something had fallen down. I came out from the cooler and saw broken glass from the shattered window in front. A sheriff’s deputy was pointing his gun at the store.”

Lulseged said he ran back to the beer cooler to hide.

The name of the wounded worker was not released. He and the other man had been working on the roof since Monday, Lulseged said.