Two police officers from El Monte, a suburb of Los Angeles, were shot and killed while responding to a stabbing at a motel Tuesday afternoon, police and local officials said. When the officers arrived at the hotel around 4:47 p.m., they were fired upon, the Los Angeles Times reported, and a shootout ensued in a parking lot. Somewhere amid the crossfire, police said both the officers and the suspect were killed. “They were good men,” said Capt. Ben Lowry, the acting chief of the El Monte Police Department. “These two heroes paid the ultimate sacrifice today. They were murdered by a coward.” The victims were identified as Cpl. Michael Paredes, who had been on the force for two decades, and a rookie officer Joseph Santana. The gunman, Justin Flores, was on probation for a gun offense at the time, according to court records. “Heartbroken doesn’t begin to express the loss that we feel,” El Monte Mayor Jessica Ancona said. “[The officers] were acting as the first line of defense for community members when they were essentially ambushed.”
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