Fresno police sergeant shot multiple times pursues shooter despite being wounded

A Fresno police sergeant was ambushed Saturday night and shot multiple times while investigating a homicide, but still pursued his assailant despite his injuries, officials said Monday morning.

Saturday, a sergeant responded to a call in south Fresno where officers were investigating a homicide, Fresno Interim Police Chief Mindy Casto said Monday. The sergeant was sitting in his patrol car working on his laptop when the gunman, later identified as 40-year-old Andy Morales, pulled up to the sergeant’s car and shot the sergeant with a .223 caliber AR pistol before driving off.

Despite being shot at, the sergeant chased the suspect in his car for another block, calling for help on the walkie-talkie, she said. A 49-second gunfight erupted between the sergeant and Morales before two other officers arrived and shot the suspect, who was killed in the shootout, the chief said. Responding officers administered first aid and applied a tourniquet to the sergeant before transporting him to a hospital where he is recovering.

“The sergeant had the presence of mind before succumbing to his injuries and going into shock to call for 911 for both himself and the suspect,” Casto said. “So it’s very strange to me.”

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The sergeant, who has not been identified, was shot at least twice in the legs and suffered shrapnel wounds, Casto said, while other bullets struck the car seat and his stun gun. The shooting was the first officer-involved shooting of the year. At a press conference on Monday, the department showed a photo of a patrol car that was riddled with bullets.

“I can’t believe it — I mean, I can believe it, but it’s amazing,” Casto said. “He knew he was shot. He activates his body camera. He yells that he’s in pursuit of the suspect, puts his car in the driver’s seat and gives chase,” Casto said. The agency planned to eventually release the body camera footage, she said.

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, who has served as police chief for 18 years, said he personally knew the sergeant, who has 20 years with the department, and used to provide security for him.

“When you consider the number of rounds that were fired at close range and the number of rounds that hit the patrol car and the rounds that ended up hitting both of this sergeant’s legs, we were very, very lucky, we’re not here today to talk about the death of a police officer,” Dyer said.

In April, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy survived the shooting riding a department-issued motorcycle. The shooting sparked a massive manhunt, and authorities eventually apprehended the suspect who was charged with one count of attempted murder peacemaker

Morales, the shooter in Saturday’s shooting, previously had convictions for assault with a deadly weapon with a bat and was arrested on domestic violence and weapons charges, Casto said. The AR pistol used by Morales was illegally possessed, authorities said. The agency is still awaiting a toxicology report to determine if Morales was under the influence of any drugs, but investigators found a controlled substance on him, Casto said.

An investigation after the shootout revealed Morales was the suspect in the homicide, which a sergeant was on the scene to investigate, Casto said. He was a childhood friend of victim Mario Ternora, who was found dead in a home from gunshot and stab wounds in a “very violent” crime scene.

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Morales was a known gang member, she said, but investigators may never understand Ternora’s motivation for killing him or why he shot Sgt.

According to Casto, the community where the shooting happened provided the information. And the officer is already talking about returning to work.

“I think he’s still in the very early stages of recovery and he’s ready to go back to work,” she said. “He’s already talking about it.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.