Law enforcement officials called for all residents of Templeton, California, to shelter in place Thursday after after shots were reported fired in the north end of the city during a manhunt for a suspect who killed one man and seriously wounded a deputy a day earlier, the Paso Robles Press reports.
Mason James Lira reportedly opened fire Wednesday morning at the Paso Robles Police station in downtown Paso Robles, just north of Templeton. A San Luis Obispo County deputy was reportedly shot in the face and was listed in guarded condition with a good prognosis Thursday morning.
As the search for the gunman got under way, business owners near the Amtrak station alerted police to the body of a 58-year-old homeless man shot in the head from “close proximity.” Police believe Lira was responsible.
Early Thursday morning, Lira was spotted at a gas station, where he was said to be sweating profusely and talking to himself. Police were unable to catch up to him there, but at some point he dropped a duffle bag he was carrying, and it was secured by police.
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Law enforcement from Tulare County, Santa Barbara County, Kings County, the FBI and the California Highway Patrol have joined the search. Shots were reported fired periodically throughout the night, and an officer was reported to have been wounded in the leg Thursday afternoon.
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The San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Department identified the deputy wounded on Wednesday as Nicholas Dreyfus, 28, who has been with the department for nearly two years. The department said his wife and other family members are with him at the hospital.
More on this story as it is released.
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[Featured image: Deputy Nicholas Dreyfus/San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department]