48 year-old veteran Hayward Police Officer Scott Lunger was shot dead today at a routine traffic stop.
21 year-old Mark Estrada was later arrested for the cold-blooded murder.
The suspect shot Officer Lunger then fled in his white GMC pickup.
He was later apprehended.
NBC Bay Area reported:
A traffic stop ended in bloodshed early Wednesday morning when a Hayward police officer was fatally shot, according to police.
A statement by the Hayward Police Department identified the fallen officer as 48-year-old Sergeant Scott Lunger.
Speaking at a press conference, Acting Chief Mark Knoller said: “[Scott] was always out there, eager to get involved. He was engaged in the community.”
Lunger stopped a vehicle whose driver was “observed driving erratically,” police said. But when he got out of his car and approached the driver’s side of the vehicle, its occupant opened fire without warning, they added.
A second officer, who was present at the scene and did not sustain injuries, returned fire. But, the suspect fled, police said.
Police also said that the suspect vehicle, believed to be a white GMC pickup truck, was later recovered in Oakland. Abandoned at an intersection, the car was reportedly riddled with bullet holes on the driver’s side door.
Based on information found in the vehicle, the police department identified a “person of interest,” who was later arrested. Hayward police identified the suspect as 21-year-old Mark Estrada. Police sources told NBC Bay Area that Estrada was being treated for gunshot wounds at a local hospital.