Police identify officer, suspect killed in San Luis Obispo shooting

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KION and KEYT) The San Luis Obispo Police Department has identified the officer killed in the line of duty, a fellow officer who was injured and the suspect in the shooting.

Police said Det. Luca Benedetti was shot and killed while serving a search warrant at an apartment, and Det. Steve Orozco was injured. He was taken to a hospital for treatment and released.

The department said six officers, including Benedetti and Orozco, went to serve a search warrant at an apartment on Camellia Court in San Luis Obispo Monday evening as they investigated a string of burglaries. Police said the approached the apartment and identified themselves as law enforcement, but when there was no response for an extended period of time, they forced the front door open.

The department said the suspect, identified as 37-year-old Edward Zamora Giron, was lying in wait and began to shoot at officers, who returned fire. KION's sister station KEYT reports that Giron was later found dead in the apartment with what police described as "apparent self-inflicted, fatal gunshot wound and other injuries consistent with being struck by the officers' return fire."

Benedetti, a 12-year law enforcement veteran, leaves behind a wife and two young children. He has worked with the San Luis Obispo Police Department since 2012 and served with the Atascadero Police Department before that.

"I had the distinct pleasure of working with Luca over the past 9 years," said acting police chief Brian Amoroso. "He was a dedicated officer, a talented detective, a proud member of the San Luis Obispo Regional SWAT Team, and most importantly, a loving husband and father."

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office and District Attorney's Office will investigate the incident.