Three Officers, Suspect Die In Oakland Shootings

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Three Oakland police officers were killed, another gravely wounded and a suspect was slain in a gun battle with a SWAT team Saturday in two related shootings that have rocked the community, authorities said. . At an emotional Saturday evening press conference, Acting Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan confirmed the deaths.Authorities said the deadly spree began with a traffic stop at 74th Ave. and MacArthur Blvd. at about 1:08 p.m. Two motorcycle officers were gravely wounded at that location and the armed suspect fled into a nearby building, authorities said.Sgt. Mark Dunakin, 40, died of his wounds, Jordan said, and Sgt. John Hege was gravely wounded and battling for his life.A short time later, acting on a tip, police surrounded a building on Hillside St. and 74th Ave -- a block from the initial shooting scene. A SWAT team was sent in and shot it out with a suspect, who had barricaded himself inside and was armed with an assault weapon. Two officers were killed in the exchange of fire and the suspect killed.The officers killed were identified by Jordan as Ervin Romans, 42, and Daniel Saki, 35. The gunman was identified as Lovell Mixon, 27, Oakland. He was wanted for a parole violation, Jordan said.“We received information as to the whereabouts of where the suspect was,” Thomason said. “We had SWAT officers go into that building and that’s where the shooting took place.”Jordan said the department was still investigating, but they did not believe there were any other suspects. "At this point we don't believe there are other people involved, but it's too early to tell," he said. Meanwhile, the mood was somber outside the police station in Oakland as the investigation continued. "This is a highly sensitive situation that we're dealing with right now with our OPD family, and we're still trying to notify family members that their family members were hurt," Thomason said.Hours after Saturday's shootings near a busy intersection just blocks from a police substation in east Oakland, people were still at the scene of the first shooting as police tape blocked off streets.Mo Wiley, 32, of Oakland, said emotions still are raw from the Grant shooting."Oakland is a beautiful place," Wiley said. "But I just hate when it gets ugly like this."Meanwhile about 20 people taunted police near the scene of the first shooting. A group of Oakland ministers went to the hospital to offer prayers and condolences to the family members of the injured officers and the dozens of Oakland police officers who gathered there.They said that on Sunday morning they would urge their parishioners not to let the event tear the city apart. Pastor Raymond Lankford, executive director of Healthy Oakland, urged people to show support for the officers and their families. "What officers do, that's a tough job," Lankford said. "They need love, they need support. They need to know the community is behind them."