UPDATED: Local Officials, Veterans React to Killing of Osama Bin Laden

Local veterans and officials celebrated the killing of Osama Bin Laden after President Barack Obama announced that the 9/11 mastermind was gunned down by U.S. forces at a compound in Pakistan on Sunday.

"Justice has been done," Obama said in a televised announcement Sunday.

While he did not provide details, he said that the U.S. has been tracking bin Laden for months and finally located him in a residence in Pakistan. After a firefight, the president said, bin Laden was killed, with no loss of U.S. lives.

Robert Parry, a Monrovia resident and Army veteran who served in Afghanistan until last August, called the killing a "miraculous achievement."

"The only thing that would make me happier is if I got to do it myself," Parry said. "This is an outstanding, frankly miraculous achievement. I didn’t think it would ever happen."

The full ramifications of the killing for the United States remain to be determined, but Parry said he expects that retaliation from extremist groups could come in the next few months.

"You’ve got a lot of people who are driven purely by emotion and they will react emotionally," Parry said.

The U.S. State Department sent out an alert Sunday warning American travelers of the "enhanced potential for anti-American violence given recent counter-terrorism activity in Pakistan."

"Given the uncertainty and volatility of the current situation, U.S. citizens in areas where recent events could cause anti-American violence are strongly urged to limit their travel outside of their homes and hotels and avoid mass gatherings and demonstrations," the alert said.

Councilman Clarence Shaw, who holds the rank of major in the Army Reserves, said he hoped the killing of Bin Laden would eventually lead to the end of the war in Afghanistan.

"I think it's great news and hopefully it will bring some closure to a lot of the soldiers that we have overseas," Shaw said. "The hunt for Osama Bin Laden was one of the biggest reasons we were over there in the first place."

Sheriff Lee Baca, the top officer at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department told K-CAL 9 reporters in an interview Sunday night that the county and nation will continue to face security challenges.  He said that like others in the country, the death does make him feel safer.

"I feel safer but I also know that there's still a whole world of violent extremeist behavior that is so irrational for the average citizen of the world," Baca said.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, congratulated the President and his national security team in a statement Sunday night.

"At long last, the world is rid of a despicable mass murderer and the victims of September 11th have obtained a measure of justice," Schiff's statement says. "This is a tremendous day for the men and women of our armed forces, our intelligence agencies and all Americans. This is not the end of the struggle against al Qaeda, and we must redouble our vigilance in the days ahead.  But after a decade of waiting, this is wonderful news."

Below is a list of the 48 victims from California who died in the September 11, 2001 al Qaeda attacks:

1. Angell, David Lawrence - 54 - Pasadena, CA - Am 11
2. Angell, Lynn - 52 - Pasadena, CA - Am 11
3. Aoyama, Seima - 48 - Culver City , CA - Am 11
4. Barnes, Melissa Rose - 27 - Redlands, CA - Dec Ptn
5. Beaven, Alan - 48 - Oakland, CA - Un 93
6. Betru, Yeneneh - 35 - Burbank, CA - Am 77
7. Beug, Carolyn - 48 - Santa Monica, CA - Am 11
8. Bingham, Mark K. - 31 - San Francisco, CA - Un 93
9. Bodley, Deora Frances - 20 - Santa Clara, CA - Un 93
10. Bolourchi, Touran Hamzavi - 69 - Beverly Hills, CA - Un 175
11. Brandhorst, Daniel R. - 42 - Los Angeles, CA - Un 175
12. Brandhorst, David Reed Gamboa - 3 - Los Angeles, CA - Un 175
13. Burnett Jr., Thomas E. - 38 - San Ramon, CA - Un 93
14. Calley, Suzanne - 42 - San Martin, CA - Am 77
15. Collman, Jeffrey Dwayne - 41 - Novato, CA - Am 11
16. Dearaujo, Dorothy - 82 - Long Beach, CA - Un 175
17. Frost, Lisa Anne - 22 - Rancho Santa Margarita, CA - Un 175
18. Gamboa, Ronald - 33 - Los Angeles, CA - Un 175
19. Garcia, Andrew - 62 - Portola Valley, CA - Un 93
20. Grandcolas, Lauren - 36 - San Rafael, CA - Un 93
21. Green, Andrew Peter Charles Curry - 34 - Santa Monica, CA - Am 11
22. Guadagno, Richard Jerry - 38 - Eureka, CA - Un 93
23. Hall, Stanley - 68 - Rancho Palos Verdes, CA - Am 77
24. Hardacre, Gerald F. - 62 - Carlsbad, CA - Un 175
25. Hart, John Patrick - 38 - Danville, CA - Dec WTC
26. Hofer, John - 45 - Bellflower, CA - Am 11
27. Hughes, Melissa Harrington - 31 - San Francisco, CA - Dec WTC
28. Keating, Barbara - 72 - Palm Springs, CA - Am 11
29. Keller, Chandler "Chad" - 29 - El Segundo, CA - Am 77
30. Lee, Daniel John - 34 - Van Nuys, CA - Am 11
31. Lopez, Maclovio "Joe" - 41 - Los Angeles, CA - Un 175
32. Menchaca, Dora M. - 45 - Santa Monica, CA - Am 77
33. Miller, Nicole - 21 - San Jose, CA - Un 93
34. Neira, Laurie Ann - 48 - Los Angeles, CA - Am 11
35. Ornedo, Ruben - 39 - Los Angeles, CA - Am 77
36. Pappalardo, Marie - 53 - Paramount, CA - Un 175
37. Paskins, Jerrold H. - 56 - Anaheim Hills, CA - Dec WTC
38. Pecorelli, Thomas Nicholas - 31 - Topanga, CA - Am 11
39. Penniger, Robert - 63 - Poway, CA - Am 77
40. Perkins, Berry Berenson - 53 - Los Angeles, CA - Am 11
41. Sopper, Mari-Rae - 35 - Santa Barbara, CA - Am 77
42. Suarez, Xavier - 41 - Chino Hills, CA - Am 11
43. Titus, Alicia N. - 28 - San Francisco, CA - Un 175
44. Tolbert, Otis Vincent - 38 - Lemoore, CA - Dec Ptn
45. Vamsikrishna, Pendyala - 30 - Los Angeles, CA - Am 11
46. Ward, Timothy Ray - 38 - San Diego, CA - Un 175
47. Wemmers, Christian Hans Rudolph - 43 - San Francisco, CA - Dec WTC
48. Wenckus, John Joseph - 46 - Torrance, CA - Am 11