Suspect Fatally Shot After 6-Hour Standoff in El Monte

A man suspected of wounding another man Friday in a shooting in El Monte was found fatally shot inside a residence after a six-hour standoff, police said.

Officers responded around 7:30 a.m. to the 11400 block of Elmcrest Street to investigate a report that someone had been shot, said El Monte police Lt. Chris Williams.

The shooter was seen entering a residence near where the victim was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, Williams said, adding that officers "extracted the victim ... from the location" and took him to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where he is listed in critical condition.

"Officers contained the residence the suspect was seen entering," Williams said. "Officers learned the suspect walked into a bedroom and residents heard a single gunshot."

When officers were unable to make contact with the suspect, they evacuated surrounding homes and nearby Frank M. Wright Elementary School was placed on lockdown, he said.

"Out of concern for the officers, neighbors and the suspect, the El Monte Police Department SWAT Team was activated," Williams said.

Still unable to make contact with the suspect, police around noon deployed a throw phone inside the home, but to no avail, he said.

Around 1:30 p.m., SWAT officers entered the home and found a man, believed to be the suspect, with a single gunshot wound, Williams said.

County firefighters pronounced him dead at the scene, he said.

The names of the suspect and the wounded man were not released and the shooting remains under active investigation, Williams said.

It was unclear what prompted the gunfire.

—City News Service