Two correctional officers have been critically injured after a man opened fire inside the lobby of the Fresno County Jail in California, officials say.
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Two Fresno County Sheriff’s correctional officers were shot on Saturday after an altercation with a man in the lobby of the Fresno County Jail.
Vang then ran to an unlocked door that led to the jail records area and stayed in the hallway as responding deputies and a Fresno Police officer entered the jail lobby and ordered him to surrender. Scanlan is originally from American Samoa. But on a trip to visit friends in the Bay Area, he met a girl and fell in love. He is a father of six and used to play football for the Fresno State Bulldogs. A vigil was planned Sunday evening at Buchanan. Saturday, Fresno Christian coach Russ Counts posted a letter addressed to the school’s community asking for prayers.
He said Scanlan family members from places like Las Vegas, San Francisco, Utah and Hawaii have arrived in Fresno. Mims said the suspect was injured but it’s not immediately clear whether he had been shot.
“It is a very emotional issue, because this is a family”.
“We’re a law enforcement family here in Fresno”.
Sunday morning, workers were still cleaning up inside the lobby at the downtown Fresno jail.
The jail was closed to visitors after the attack.
This undated photo provided by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office shows corrections officer Toamalama Scanlan.
“Vang conveyed to officers he was giving up and wanted to be arrested”, the sheriff’s office said. “Some correctional officers will elect to take this course on their own, but it is not required for their job”, he said.
Authorities say there are no immediate plans to change security arrangements in the lobby of a central California jail where two unarmed officers were shot and wounded. He then started pacing back and forth next to a metal detector. That’s when Davila approached him, Mims said.
No information has been provided on Vang’s motivations for bringing the gun into the jail or if he was specifically targeting Davila and Scanlan, both who are in stable condition at the hospital.
The injured officers – who both have at least 10 years of experience – were dragged out of the lobby as Vang was held at gunpoint. There were no details available about the latter charge. The case reportedly involved the Mongolian Boys Society sex-slave ring at a local Motel 6, and there were 16 defendant’s when it began. The original case had 16 defendants.
A lieutenant and Vang exchanged gunfire, but neither was hit. He was previously sentenced in 1998 to 19 years in prison on numerous rape charges involving teens aged 14 and under.
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This undated photo provided by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office shows corrections officer Toamalama Scanlan. For questions or to arrange a dropoff time, call Eric Schmidt at 559-281-8784.
