El Monte Man Kills Two Cops Then Himself

Rookie officer Joseph Santana and his training officer Cpl. Michael Paredes knocked on a door of an El Monte motel room. At that time they were investigating a domestic violence call.

After they got the victim out safely, officer Santana went in with Cpl Paredes. Justin Flores, the assailant, backed up into the bathroom, according to law enforcement.

It was also disclosed that in a 12-second span, Flores opened fire on the officers. Cpl Paredes was struck first. Both of them died from a gunshot to the head, according to the coroner’s office.

The murders brought heartache and grief to the east downtown Los Angeles area. Both of the policemen grew up there and lived as cops. Mayor Jessica Ancona explained El Monte is their hometown, she also said, “They’re our boys.”

Details of the El Monte Incident

The horrible details in regards to the time leading up to the murders and the shootout that happened after came to light as family and friends of the police officers come together to mourn. Those who gave descriptions of the scene requested to stay anonymous as they were not given permission to speak publicly.

The situation started at approximately 4:30 Tuesday night when Santana and Paredes responded to the Siesta Inn Motel. They were also accompanied by an unidentified police sergeant.

After the two officers went down, Flores ran out of ammunition and grabbed a gun from one of the fallen cops. He then left the room shooting at the sergeant. After, he ran into the parking area where other officers and Flores started a shootout.

Justin Flores’ Death

Flores was a little over six feet tall and approximately 300 pounds. He hit the ground during the incident but continued shooting at the officers. As the officers ran toward him, he shot himself.

He died at the location. Later, the coroner’s office determined that he died when he shot himself. Santana and Paredes were brought to El Monte USC Medical Center in L.A. They were pronounced dead in the hospital.

A new conference on Friday took place outside of the Police Department in El Monte. They started it with a moment of silence for the deceased law enforcement officers.

President of the El Monte Police Union, Ron Danison, expressed that the two officers were his brothers. He explained that he was expecting to see them walk into the station with smiles on their faces. But instead, that did not happen and he is trying to make sense of what happened.

Families of the Fallen Officers in El Monte

Cpl. Paredes started on the force in July 2000. He is survived by his son, daughter, and wife. The mayor said that Paredes went to school in El Monte and was very excited to be a police officer.

Officer Santana graduated from El Monte High School. He was a Sheriff’s deputy in San Bernadino County prior to transferring to El Monte Department not even a year ago. Santana was a city maintenance personnel for six years in El Monte prior to becoming a police officer. He is survived by his daughter, twin sons, and his wife.

Olga Garcia, Santana’s mother, remembers her son as a good citizen, a wonderful son, a great father, and a great husband. She explained that her life has been ruined. She also said that her son’s life was taken by a criminal that belonged behind bars. She then criticized District Attorney George Gascón for policies that she said put criminals over police officers.

Written by Marrissa Kay

Sources:

Los Angeles Times: Horrific details emerge about deadly ambush of El Monte police officers; by Alene Tchekmedyian, Richard Winton, Libor Jany
ABC7: Gunman who killed El Monte police officers died by suicide, coroner’s report says
New York Post: Gunman who killed California cops died from suicide: coroner; By Mark Lungariello

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