Gang-Affiliated Cop Killer Receives Death Penalty

Miguel Angel Magallon, 26, has been convicted of murder in the 2004 death of L.A. County police Capt. Michael Sparkes, who was shot nine times during an attempted robbery, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Miguel Angel Magallon, 26, has been convicted of murder in the 2004 death of L.A. County police Capt. Michael Sparkes, who was shot nine times during an attempted robbery, the Los Angeles Times reports.

A superior court judge called Sparkes' death a "coldblooded killing" as he announced the sentence against Magallon, who shot Sparkes with an AK-47 rifle during an attempt to rob the officer durign an off-duty bicycle ride.

Sparkes was shot a total of nine times in an alley in the unincorporated Rosewood neighborhood near Compton. The officer fired several rounds with his 9mm Beretta, including one that flew through a car door and hit Magallon in the abdomen.

The Los Angeles County Police Department is the fourth largest law enforcement agency in Los Angeles County and is separate from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.

Read the full story.

About the Author