A Fresno police sergeant was ambushed Saturday evening and struck by multiple rounds of gunfire while on the scene of a homicide investigation but still pursued his assailant despite his injuries, city officials said Monday morning.
On Saturday, the sergeant responded to a call in south Fresno where officers were investigating a homicide, Fresno Police Interim Chief Mindy Casto said Monday. The sergeant was sitting in his patrol car working on his laptop, when a gunman, identified later as 40-year-old Andy Morales, rolled up to the sergeant’s car and fired .223 rounds from an AR pistol at the sergeant before driving off.
Despite being shot at, she said, the sergeant pursued the suspect by car for another block while radioing for help. A 49-second gun battle between the sergeant and Morales erupted, the chief said, before two other officers arrived and fired at the suspect, who was killed in the shootout. The responding officers provided first aid to the sergeant and applied a tourniquet before he was taken to a hospital, where he is recovering.
“The sergeant had the presence of mind before succumbing to his injuries and going into shock to call for an ambulance for both himself and the suspect,” Casto said. “So that’s very remarkable to me.”
The sergeant, who was not identified, was shot at least twice in the legs and suffered shrapnel wounds, Casto said, and other bullets struck the car seat and his taser. The shooting marked the department’s first officer-involved shooting of the year. At a press conference on Monday, the agency showed a photo of the patrol car, which was riddled with bullet holes.
“I can’t believe that — I mean, I can believe, but it’s astonishing,” Casto said. “He knew he was shot. He activates his body camera. He’s calling out that he’s in pursuit of the suspect, and he puts his vehicle in drive and takes chase,” Casto said. The agency planned to eventually release the body camera footage, she said.
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, who served as police chief for 18 years, said he personally knew the sergeant, who is a 20-year veteran of the department and previously provided protection detail for him.
“When you consider the number of rounds that were fired from close proximity and the number of rounds that struck that patrol car, and the rounds that ultimately struck this sergeant in both of his legs, we’re very, very fortunate, we’re not here today talking about the death of a police officer,” Dyer said.
In April, a Los Angeles County sheriff‘s deputy survived after he was shot riding a department-issued motorcycle. The shooting triggered a massive manhunt, and authorities eventually arrested a suspect who has been charged with one count of attempted murder of a peace officer.
Morales, the gunman in Saturday’s shooting, was previously convicted for assault with a deadly weapon with a bat and was previously arrested for DUI, domestic violence and weapons related charges, Casto said. The AR pistol Morales had used was illegally possessed, authorities said. The agency is still awaiting a toxicology report to determine if Morales was under the influence of any drugs, but investigators found a controlled substance near him, Casto said.
An investigation following the shootout revealed that Morales was a suspect in the homicide that the sergeant was on scene to investigate, Casto said. He was childhood friends with the victim, Mario Ternora, who was found dead inside a home from gunshot and stab wounds in a “very vicious” crime scene.
Morales was a known gang member, she said, but investigators may never fully understand the motivation behind Ternora’s killing or why he shot at the sergeant.
The community where the shooting happened has been forthcoming with information, Casto said. And the officer is already talking about returning to the job.
“I think he’s still in the very early stages of recovery, and he’s ready to get back to work,” she said. “He already is talking about that.”
