A man who fired more than 100 bullets at pedestrians and law enforcement officials with a high-powered rifle and kept deputies at bay for two days has been found dead after barricading himself in a Valinda home , officials said.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies used armored vehicles to prevent bullets from hitting nearby homes, and residents near where the man had barricaded himself were forced to evacuate their homes as the tense clash continued in the San Gabriel Valley on Sunday.
The suspect was identified Monday by sheriff’s officials as 45-year-old Brandon Ursa. No further details about Ursa have been released.
The suspect was found inside the home on Sunday after taking his own life, LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis said. Twitter.
Deputies were called to Wing Lane and Azusa Avenue on Friday afternoon after receiving reports of an assault with a deadly weapon, officials said.
Armed with a high-powered rifle, a man fired at deputies as they arrived in the area, authorities said. Deputies returned fire and the man barricaded himself in a house in the 16900 block of Wing Lane, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Chief Jorge Valdez said. When communicating with negotiators, the suspect gave no clear indication as to why he opened fire on Friday, Lt. Calvin Mah said at the press conference.
A woman was injured, but not shot, in the incident.
Ten neighborhood families were displaced over the weekend as crisis negotiators and the Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Office attempted to end the standoff.
The families have been placed in a nearby hotel, but it is unclear when they will be able to return home due to the ongoing investigation, officials said Sunday.
Lt. Tom Giandomenico of the Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Office said more than 100 shots were fired from the house.
Officials drilled holes in the roof of the house to bring cameras inside the house, hoping to get some insight into the situation. Deputies also sprayed pepper spray around the house, hoping to make the shooter uncomfortable and make it harder for him to shoot out of the house, Giandomenico said.
Officials said the shooter was alone inside the house, but despite constant contact with crisis negotiators, the situation remained tense until Sunday.
“I could tell you at 2 in the morning [Sunday]he was always swearing and texting about his ability to want to harm us and our staff,” Giandomenico said at a press conference on Sunday.
The house belonged to a girlfriend of the shooter, he said.
At 4 p.m. Sunday, deputies entered the home and found Ursa dead inside, Valdez said.
An official cause of death has yet to be determined, officials said, but investigators said an examination of Ursa’s body revealed cuts to her wrists that appeared to be self-inflicted.