A Hawthorne Police officer wounded in the leg in a gunfight at a storage facility was in good spirits and making progress in his recovery, authorities said Friday, even though a major bone was replaced with a metal rod.
The suspect who allegedly shot him was also hospitalized. He had been armed with a gun and a machete. There were still few details about the shootout and why it happened.
Hawthorne Police posted a picture on Twitter of a smiling Officer Williams, whose first name was not provided, in his hospital bed.
“His right femur has been replaced with a metal rod and he’s been moving around a little with the use of crutches,” according to the statement. “We at HPD have a lot to be thankful for today.”
The shooting was reported at 4:43 p.m. Saturday at 4880 West Rosecrans Ave., said Los Angeles County Fire Department Dispatch Supervisor Cheryl Sims.
“HPD officer shot and taken to local hospital. Suspect also hit,” Hawthorne police posted on Twitter.
The suspect was armed with a gun and a machete, according to a Hawthorne police lieutenant at the scene. A second officer suffered a slight wound in the altercation.
The suspect was reported in a Facebook post by Hawthorne Police Sgt. Chris Cognac to be in stable condition at a hospital. He is 40-year-old Nonyete Gregory Ofoegbu, according to the Daily Breeze, and reportedly rented a unit at the Public Storage facility where the shooting occurred.
—City News Service