Police are continuing to hunt for the gunman, who may have been injured when the officers returned fire. Residents have been advised to remain indoors.
Police say several 911 calls of “shots fired” came in at 3 a.m. from the 600 block of First Lane near Orange Memorial Park. Basically, police say the two officers said they were fired at by an unknown assailant and they fired back. A SWAT team was called in and surrounded the area.
Earlier this week in Los Angeles, two police officers were fired upon by an unknown suspect, raising fears of continuing violence against police officers. But this particular incident turned out to be a case of the police driving into some gang-related gunfire.
The latest violence against police officers comes at a time when increased tensions are being felt across the nation. Attacks on police officers, as a result of the killing of unarmed black men in Missouri and New York City, have increased.
In the meantime, one of the nation’s most populous cities, New York, has been dealing with what the New York Post is calling a “virtual work stoppage” by the New York Police Department. Fear for their safety has seen a staggering 94 percent reduction in the number of summons for traffic tickets and minor offenses.
An additional police shooting occurred on Wednesday evening in southern New Jersey. Two police officers fatally shot one of two men in a car they had stopped. A witness said there was no gun seen, but police say a handgun was recovered at the scene.
Also on Wednesday in St. Louis, Missouri, protesters tried to rush the downtown police headquarters. They had posted an eviction notice on the doors, citing their reasons why Police Chief Sam Dotson and others on the force should be removed. After trying to get inside the building, police used pepper spray on the crowd.
From Boston to Indianapolis and Davenport, Iowa, to Philadelphia, the city of Brotherly Love, the protests continue and so do the shootings.
