PASO ROBLES — An intense search for a gunman began Wednesday morning in Downtown Paso Robles after the police station was fired upon and a deputy was shot. Later that morning, a man’s body was found at a nearby train station.
The Sheriff’s Office was releasing information on behalf of the Paso Robles Police Department. Multiple agencies were assisting PRPD with the crime scenes.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department deputy was shot in Downtown Paso Robles during an exchange of gunfire with a man in front of the police station shortly before 4 a.m. The shooter was believed to be between 20 and 30 and had not been found before publication.
In the vicinity of the Amtrak station at 8th Street and Pine Street in Paso Robles, the Sheriff’s Office stated the body of a man in his late 40s was discovered after 7 a.m. on Wednesday. The coroner’s office determined the victim died after being shot in the head at close proximity.
Investigators believe the homicide is related to the exchange of gunfire in front of the Paso Robles police station earlier in the morning.
An armed man reportedly in his 20s shot at the Paso Robles police station on 10th Street in Downtown Paso Robles between 3:15 a.m. and 3:45 a.m.
The officers described the suspected shooter as a man with dark curly hair wearing pants and a white hoodie with a handgun or rifle.
SLO County Sheriff’s Office deputies and California Highway Patrol officers responded to the Paso Robles police station. The deputy was shot and was reportedly in serious but stable condition after being airlifted to a trauma center, according to the sheriff’s office during an exchange with the shooter shortly before 4 a.m.
The Downtown corridor from 13th Street south to the Paso Robles Amtrak station was immediately closed, and people were told to shelter-in-place and stay away from the area. At the same time, law enforcement searched for the suspected shooter.
The shelter-in-place call was still in effect as of 11 a.m. SWAT, along with K-9 units, searched for the shooter. The search expanded outside of the Downtown area as morning turned to midday.
Other agencies on the scene included California Department of Fish and Wildlife officers, using their vehicles to block traffic and the Atascadero Police Department.
Anyone with information on any of these incidents is asked to contact the Paso Robles Police Department.
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