Officer Involved Shooting Critically Wounds Suspect Near Fountain Valley

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CA—An Anaheim police officer shot an armed suspect overnight during a foot pursuit, and a female is still at large. Now that suspect is in critical condition this morning according to police officials.

20-year-old Alan-Osvaldo Reza-Palamino of Anaheim, was wanted, along with another Anaheim man on suspicion of attempted murder, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon and brandishing a firearm, said Anaheim police Sgt. Damon Wyatt.

The shooting occurred just before 10:45 p.m. Tuesday in the 1700 block of West La Palma Avenue. Police had been looking for Reza-Palamino and 25-year-old Frank Velasquez since earlier in the day, according to Wyatt.
Just before 6:00 p.m., Anaheim police officers responded to a report of an assault involving a firearm in the 1800 block of West Neighbors Avenue.

A man said he was physically assaulted and taken against his will by Reza-Palamino, Velasquez and a woman, according to Wyatt. The victim told officers one of the males was armed with a knife, the other was armed with a handgun, and the female was armed with a club or similar instrument, Wyatt said.

While the motive for the crime was not immediately known, gang involvement is suspected, Wyatt said.
Investigators were looking for the suspects when around 10:35 p.m. Tuesday, the two men were seen entering a vehicle as passengers in the 1800 block of West Neighbors Avenue, Wyatt said. A man unrelated to the initial investigation was driving the vehicle.

Officers and investigators from the Anaheim Police Department Crime Task Force, Gang Detail, and Field Services Division attempted to stop the vehicle to arrest the suspects but the driver failed to yield and a slow-speed pursuit ensued in the surrounding neighborhood, Wyatt said.

The pursuit ended at La Palma and Mohican avenues where Reza-Palamino immediately ran from the vehicle with officers in foot pursuit, Wyatt said. During the foot pursuit Reza-Palamino was shot by an officer.
Several concurrent investigations regarding the circumstances surrounding the shooting are underway, according to Wyatt.

Reza-Palamino was transported to a local hospital in critical condition and a firearm was recovered at the scene, Wyatt said. The officer involved was wearing a body camera, he added.

The driver of the vehicle was not involved in the original crime and his role in the pursuit is still under investigation, Wyatt said.

Velasquez will be booked at the Anaheim Detention Facility on suspicion of attempted murder, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon and gang enhancements, with bail set at $500,000 bail, Wyatt said.

Reza-Palamino is in police custody at the hospital and also is expected to be booked on suspicion of attempted murder, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, brandishing a firearm, possession of a concealed firearm by a gang member, and gang enhancements, Wyatt said. His bail also will be set at $500,000.

Investigators are still looking for the female suspect, Wyatt said.

City News Service, Shutterstock Photo