Cop injured as crowd turns violent after gang shooting
A Salinas Police officer was injured when struck in the head by a flying bottle late Wednesday while responding to the scene of a gang shooting in east Salinas that left one person dead, authorities said.
Mayor Joe Gunter, a retired Salinas officer, said that the shooting occurred in the area of Del Monte and Mae avenues shortly before 9 p.m.
"Apparently, as the officer was tending to the shooting victim he was struck in the head by a bottle," Gunter said while en route to the hospital to check on the officer's condition.
TV new reports later said the officer was in stable condition and expected to recover from his injuries.
The officer had been attempting to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the shooting victim at the time he was struck in the head, said Salinas Deputy Chief Terry Gerhardstein.
Several police vehicles were damaged by rocks, bricks and bottles thrown during the unrest. Police estimated that 500 to a 1,000 protestors were on Del Monte Avenue during the evening incident.
Police further advised that Del Monte, just east of Sanborn, would be closed for evidence collection in the homicide for several hours.
"We are asking people to remain calm," Gerhardstein said. "It does no good for people to be violent."
Earlier Wednesday several hundred people gathered in that area to protest a recent spate of fatal officer-involved shootings. The crowd stayed in position throughout the afternoon into the evening and began dispersing only after hundreds of other law enforcement officers descended into the area after the gang shooting. Those other officers were responding to a mutual aide request put out by the Salinas department.
An American Red Cross emergency canteen for the officers was established at Alisal Community School to provide aide to the officers from across the region.
Further information about the gang shooting victim, believed to be a teenager, was not immediately late Wednesday night.
Senior writer Jeff Mitchell contributed to this report.