Officer Killed; Suspect Is Caught in Manhunt

A young police officer was shot and killed while answering a domestic violence call at a South Los Angeles apartment Friday, and a suspect, Kenrick William Johnson, 32, was arrested several hours later after a massive manhunt.

Ricardo Lizarraga, 30 years old and just three years with the Los Angeles Police Department, died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after he was shot in the abdomen just below the edge of his bulletproof vest, police said. He was married with no children.

It was the first fatal shooting of an on-duty LAPD officer since 1998 and came as concern has grown about the increasing number of attacks on officers. In more than 40 incidents in the last year, people shot at police, sometimes ambushing them in unprovoked, sniper-like assaults.

Friday's killing occurred during one of the most routine types of police calls: domestic violence.

Police said a woman called them from a pay phone at a doughnut shop near Western Avenue and 48th Street just after noon Friday, asking officers to remove an abusive boyfriend from her nearby apartment. Police, swamped by other high-priority calls, did not respond immediately. So, the woman flagged down a passing police car about 12:50 p.m.

The two officers accompanied her to a two-story rear apartment at 1743 W. 48th St., where they confronted a man at the front door. The woman pleaded with police to remove him from the apartment, but not to arrest him.

The officers approached Johnson and were moving to pat him down when he fled to a back bedroom and emerged with a gun, said LAPD Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell. One officer yelled, "He's got a gun!" before the gunman fired multiple shots, striking Lizarraga, McDonnell said.

His partner, Officer Joel Ruiz, fired back. Johnson then ran back through the house and outside, still carrying the gun.

Responding to a radio call of officer down, hundreds of officers converged on the scene, cordoned off the area and began a manhunt.

Lizarraga was in surgery for more than an hour. He died at 3 p.m., Deputy Chief Gary Brennan said.

"The officers' injuries were so severe that upon arrival, he had no pulse," Brennan said. "There was little likelihood he would survive. They worked extremely hard to save this officer's life. Unfortunately, the wounds were so severe they could not."

Brennan called Lizarraga "a fine young officer, very popular, and hard-working."