Salinas neighbors recall tense moments after nine-hour standoff results in suspect killed

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) - People who live in the area of Sun Street in Salinas are remembering those long tedious moments in Salinas when an officer was shot and a suspect killed Wednesday evening.

"Seeing the police officer being pulled out, shots being fired from. It's sad to see that's what's happening to our community," said Jose Hernandez, a worker at an auto shop that's a few blocks away from where it happened.

Hernandez heard the shots and ran out to see what had happened.

"The people get scared, and the saddest thing was seeing the sheriff gets shot, and seeing him laying on the street, it's something sad," said Hernandez.

"My sister likes to walk on these streets, either down this road or over there, but good thing she was fine," said Esperanza Lozano, whose sister lives on the same street where the shooting happened.

As investigators collect evidence, one local business is having to close down for the time being, ultimately causing a huge financial loss, as she does not know when she will be able to open her doors again.

"It's scary. It really is. Because as a business owner, you look at what comes in and what goes out. And we depend on being open every day. And so age does hurt us," said Joanna Palomo, the business owner of RMG Batteries.

Joanna says there's a bigger picture community members need to see after this incident.

"Everybody, everything that your neighbor does affects you. And we need to stop thinking that it's only about our family. No, it's about everybody. We live in a community and we need to help each other," said Palomo.