Man accused of shooting, killing California police officer identified

A man who surrendered to authorities in California early Thursday, hours after police said he shot and killed a police officer responding to a domestic violence complaint in Sacramento, has been identified.

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The suspect, identified as Adel Sambrano Ramos, 45, has a criminal history dating back to the 1990s that includes domestic violence, DUI and theft and battery complaints, The Sacramento Bee reported.

Authorities booked him into jail Thursday on suspicion of killing Officer Tara O’Sullivan, 26, a member of the Sacramento Police Department who graduated from the police academy in December.

Update 8:35 a.m. EDT June 21: Police have identified the man arrested after authorities said he shot and killed a police officer Wednesday night, prompting an hours-long standoff in Sacramento.

Authorities booked Adel Sambrano Ramos, 45, into Sacramento County Jail early Thursday on suspicion of murder.

Ramos has a history of domestic violence, according to The Associated Press. A judge twice granted domestic violence orders against Ramos at his wife's request in 2004 and 2007, the AP reported, citing court records. Just days before the shooting, a judge issued a warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear in court to face a misdemeanor battery charge involving a minor.

Update 10:40 a.m. EDT June 20: Five police officers who fired their duty weapons during an hours-long standoff in Sacramento have been placed on administrative leave as officials investigate. The suspension is part of the police department's standard protocol, officials said.

Police did not identify the officers who fired shots, though authorities said they each had between three and five years experience with SPD.

Police said the standoff started around 6:10 p.m. local time Wednesday as Officer Tara O’Sullivan was helping a woman to gather her belongings from a home following a domestic violence call. Authorities said a gunman shot O’Sullivan and then fired several other shots with a “rifle-type firearm.”

O’Sullivan later died of her injuries, authorities said.

The suspect, whose name was not immediately released, surrendered to authorities around 2 a.m. Thursday.

Authorities continue to investigate.

Update 9:05 a.m. EDT June 20: Police confirmed a suspect was in custody Thursday morning after a shooting in the Noralto neighborhood left a police officer dead, according to authorities and the Sacramento Bee.

Citing radio scanner traffic, the Bee reported that a negotiator was able to talk the suspected shooter into surrendering around 2 a.m. Thursday, about eight hours after O'Sullivan was shot.

Police said in a statement released on Twitter around 5:45 a.m. local time that the suspect had been safely taken into custody.

 

Original report: According to The Associated Press, Sacramento police Officer Tara O'Sullivan, 26, was shot about 6 p.m. Wednesday when a gunman opened fire during a domestic dispute call involving a man and a woman. O'Sullvian, who was seriously injured, was taken to a nearby hospital and later died, authorities said.

Police said O'Sullivan, who was in training, had been helping the woman gather her things from a Redwood Avenue home when the shots rang out.

Hours later, the gunman was still firing shots. As of late Wednesday, officers were unable to contact him, the AP reported.

Residents of the neighborhood have been evacuated to a nearby elementary school, KTXL reported.

Early Thursday, the Police Department tweeted that officers are "devastated" about O'Sullivan's death.

"Our hearts are with Tara's family, whose pain can hardly be imagined," the department tweeted. "Please hold her family in your thoughts and prayers."

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– The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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