Authorities identify suspect in Paso Robles ambush as “Monterey area” transient
PASO ROBLES, Calif. (KION and AP)
UPDATE 6/10/2020 10:07 p.m. - The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office has identified the suspect in Wednesday's ambush against law enforcement in Paso Robles as Mason James Lira, a 26-year-old "transient from the Monterey area."
They say Lira is armed and dangerous. If you see him, do not make contact with him. Call 911 and report his location to law enforcement.
UPDATE 6/10/2020 3:30 p.m. Law enforcement in Paso Robles are searching for a suspect who allegedly shot a deputy in the head and may have been involved in a homicide.
At around 3:09 Wednesday morning, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office said Paso Robles police saw and heard someone begin firing a gun at the police station. They requested help from nearby law enforcement agencies, and the Sheriff's Office responded.
While out of their patrol vehicle looking for the shooter, the Sheriff's Office said two deputies came under fire. One of them was shot in the head, and the other deputy protected him. The deputy was taken to an out of county hospital where he is in stable condition, but the Sheriff's Office said he is not out of the woods yet. He was conscious after the shooting and called in that he had been shot himself.
The suspect is described as a Hispanic man with curly hair and a beard. He is about 5'8" and 150-160 pounds. He is considered armed and dangerous and has not been found.
Near the shooting scene, local business owners reported a possible dead body at the train station. Police responded and found the victim of a homicide who had been shot in the back of the head. Investigators believe the man who was killed may have been a transient camping out in the area, and they believe it may be connected to the shooting at the police station.
The Sheriff's Office said there are at least five crime scenes in the downtown area that are still being processed. The search for the suspect there ended.
The Sheriff's Office said they have not found anything that may link the police station shooting that injured a deputy to a shooting in Ben Lomond over the weekend that killed a Santa Cruz County Sheriff's deputy. Both were described as an ambush.
UPDATE 6/10/2020 2 p.m. Paso Robles police said investigators have finished searching the downtown area, but it is still closed for evidence processing.
Police say they are still looking for a suspect and are looking for any video surveillance.
UPDATE 6/10/2020 11 a.m. The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office said a homicide in Paso Robles may be connected to a shooting Wednesday morning at the police station.
Paso Robles Police are investigating after a body was found near the Amtrak station at 8th Streen and Pine Street. The cause of death has been ruled a homicide.
The Sheriff's Office said the man was shot in the head at close proximity.
Investigators believe it may be connected to a shooting Wednesday morning at the police station in Paso Robles. A Sheriff's deputy was injured and is reported to be in serious but stable condition.
Investigators are still looking for the suspect, who is described as a man in his 20s or 30s.
Monterey-Salinas Transit said northbound Line 84 leaving the Paso Robles Transit Center at 12:56 p.m. is not accessible because of police activity in the area. Riders are asked to head to the nearest bus stop at Spring Street and 24th Street.
PREVIOUS STORY: A sheriff's deputy has been injured after someone opened fire on a police station in Paso Robles.
Law enforcement does not know the motive behind the shooting, but San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Sgt. Steve Odom said it started at around 3:45 a.m.
The deputy was reported to be in serious but stable condition. Gunfire occurred over a span of some minutes but details were unclear. The search for the shooter is ongoing and people in the area were urged to shelter in place and avoid downtown Paso Robles.
The suspect is described as a man in his 20's or 30's.
