Southeast Officers Respond to a Neighbor Dispute NR11186mg

April 28, 2011

***UPDATE***

The two Southeast Officers involved in the below officer involved shooting have been identified as Police Officer II Gilbert Gastelum, who has been with the Department for four years and ten months and Police Officer II Erik Loomis, who has been with the Department for four years and six months.

Los Angeles:  On April 27, 2011, at around 8:20 a.m., LAPD officers working patrol in the Southeast Area responded to a “Neighbor Dispute, Possible Shots Fired” radio call in the 1700 block of East 115th Street.  When they arrived, the officers met with a resident of 115th Street who told the officers that he had an argument with his neighbor who lived next door and that he thought the neighbor had fired a shot at his house.  The resident also told police that he had heard arguing from inside the residence and possibly additional shots fired inside.

With this information, the officers formulated a plan to approach the home.  When they knocked on the door, they were let inside the home by one of its occupants.  The officers were told that the suspect was in the back.  As the officers walked to the rear of the home, they were confronted by the suspect who was armed with a shotgun and a knife.  The suspect refused to respond to the officer’s commands to drop the weapons, and then pointed the shotgun at the officers.  An officer involved shooting occurred.  The suspect, Jose Solario Abraham, 46 years old, was struck twice in the upper torso.  Officers took Abraham into custody and immediately called for medical assistance.

Personnel from the Los Angeles Fire Department responded and pronounced Abraham dead as the result of his injuries.

No officers were injured in the incident.   Three occupants were removed from the home uninjured.  A loaded, single barrel shotgun was recovered inside the home.  

LAPD Southeast detectives are handling the investigation into the initial Shots Fired call, and LAPD Force Investigation Division personnel are investigating the officer involved shooting.  The investigation will ultimately be reviewed by the Chief of Police, the Office of the Inspector General and Board of Police Commissioners for compliance with the Department’s use of force policy which states that an officer’s use of force actions must be objectively reasonable.  Additionally the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Justice System Integrity Division will conduct a comprehensive review of the facts of the Officer Involved Shooting.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to call Southeast Area Detectives at 213-972-7813. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247).  Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crimestoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone.  All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.”  Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on "webtips" and follow the prompts.