Sheriffs Department Investigating Shooting at Liquor Store

The deputy who mistakenly fired eight shots at a store clerk in West Hollywood on Sunday morning was a trainee on duty, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The deputy, who was accompanied by a training officer, responded to a burglary call at Carmel Liquor store on Sunday morning.

When they arrived, they found the store clerk signaling that the robbers were getting away, but the trainee deputy instead confused the signal for a possible weapon and fired eight shots.

The suspects were described as a black male adult, armed with a handgun, and a black female adult. Capt. Mike Parker told the LA Times that one of the deputies mistook the clerk, who is also black, for a suspect.

Michael Gennaco, who works at the Office of Independent Review, a Sheriff's Department watchdog,  says the department has "launched multiple investigations into the shooting, including separate inquires by internal affairs and department detectives."