Associated Press
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SANTA ANA, Calif. - A man was shot to death Wednesday during a gunbattle with police at a strip mall parking lot in Orange County, authorities said.
Authorities were awaiting a coroner’s report identifying the man, but they suspected he was the gunman who also shot and critically wounded two Long Beach police officers last week, said Santa Ana police Officer Victor Standke.
Oscar Gallegos, 33, has been the target of a manhunt since he allegedly shot officers Abe Yap and Roy Wade on Dec. 22 after they pulled over his vehicle, authorities said.
Wednesday’s shooting occurred as Santa Ana police were assisting Long Beach police in surveilling a man who resembled Gallegos, Standke said.
Three officers approached the vehicle the man was in around 5 p.m., and the man got out of the car and opened fire, Standke said. The officers returned fire, striking the man multiple times, he said.
The suspect died at the scene.
Detectives were also questioning another man who was in the car, Standke said. His connection to the gunman was under investigation.
Yap, 38, was shot in the face and Wade, 39, in the chest and throat. Both were recovering following surgery at a hospital.