Shot in Both Legs, Ambushed Fresno Officer Pursued Suspect

A Fresno, California, police sergeant shot over the weekend during an ambush attack pursued the suspect and engaged in a shootout for almost a minute despite having been shot in both of his legs, interim Chief Mindy Casto said Monday during a press conference.

The officer, who has not been identified, was recovering in the hospital on Monday, she said. Police identified the suspect as Andy Morales, 40, of Fresno, who was killed in a gun battle with officers, the Fresno Bee reports.

Casto said the sergeant, a veteran of about two decades, was sitting in a patrol car outside of a home under investigation  around 5:30 p.m. when Morales opened fire with what she described as a “powerful” AR pistol.

The sergeant was struck by at least two rounds that pierced the patrol car’s doors, she said.

“The sergeant had the presence of mind before succumbing to his injuries and going into shock, to call for an ambulance for himself and the suspect,” she said in a news conference on Monday. “So that’s very remarkable.”