Police officer killed in San Diego shooting

Suspect has been taken into custody

SAN DIEGO: A San Diego police officer was fatally shot and another was injured at a traffic stop late Thursday, police said on Friday, and a wounded suspect was taken into custody.

The officers, members of the department's gang suppression unit, were shot soon after making a traffic stop at about 11 pm PDT (0600 GMT) in Southcrest, a neighborhood in southeast San Diego, Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said at a news conference.

"I'm extremely heartbroken to report that we had an officer shot and killed," Zimmerman said.

The second officer underwent surgery and is expected to survive, police said.

She said one suspect, who was also shot, was taken into custody and was being treated at a hospital after being found in a nearby ravine. Officers had searched the area for additional suspects.

White House spokesman Eric Schultz said he did not know if President Barack Obama had been briefed yet on the shooting of the two police officers but said Obama has long urged respect for law enforcers who risk their lives to protect the public.

"The president believes there is no excuse for committing violence against the men and women who wear the uniform," Schultz told reporters at a daily press briefing on Friday.

Further details on the shooting were not immediately provided.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30^th, 2016.