Hostage killed in California park shooting

ROSEVILLE, California — A man fleeing police in Northern California took two hostages at a public park on Thursday, killing one of them and wounding a California Highway Patrol officer before surrendering, authorities said.

The events played out in Roseville, a city of about 150,000 northeast of Sacramento, in the early afternoon as families played at nearby baseball fields and children attended camps.

The officer was in stable condition at a hospital. The names of the two adults taken hostage were not immediately released.

The surviving hostage was taken to hospital with what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries, according to a statement from the city of Roseville.

The suspect, who was also not immediately named, was hospitalized with gunshot wounds, but there was no immediate word on his condition.

It was unclear how he was wounded. Police did not immediately indicate whether officers had fired any shots.

The events unfolded when highway patrol officers attempted to serve the man a warrant, prompting him to shoot at and wound an officer. The Roseville Police Department received a radio call around 12:30 pm alerting them an officer had been shot, Captain Kelby Newton said.

When Roseville police arrived, the suspect was seen carrying a gun and running. He then grabbed two civilians in the park and held them hostage, shooting both.

Newton said he did not know what prompted the warrant.

Victor Michael was at batting practice with his child at Mahany Park. Then he heard police tell someone to stop and "get down". Then, he heard gunfire.

"I can't tell you who shot first, I just know that I saw a suspect look back and the volley of fire just went off. It was crazy," Michael said. "I just told my kid and everybody to get down."

Michael heard between 20 and 30 gunshots in all and took refuge with his child behind the tires of his truck.

The sprawling park tucked into a quiet suburb of Sacramento includes a sports complex, public library, aquatics center and nature trails. The fitness center and library were temporarily locked down, and students attending camps were taken to a nearby school to be reunited with their families.

Agencies Via Xinhua