https://abc30.com/suspect-down-several-officers-wounded-in-paso-robles-standoff/6240735/
CRIME
Suspect down, several officers wounded in standoff near search for man who shot Paso Robles deputy
Updated 28 minutes ago
The man accused of shooting a deputy and killing a man in Paso Robles on Wednesday has a criminal past in Central California, court documents reveal.
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Police in the city of Paso Robles on California's Central Coast said on Thursday the suspect involved in a standoff with them all afternoon is down.
It is not clear if that means the suspect is in custody or dead.
Several officers have been injured but the extent of injuries is not yet known.
At this time, authorities have not confirmed this is related to the search for 26-year-old Mason Lira, but the standoff took place in the same riverbed area where law enforcement was searching for him.
Lira is suspected of being the person who fired shots at the Paso Robles Police headquarters on Wednesday.
Nicholas Dreyfus, a San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's deputy, was shot as he was responding to a call for help from dispatchers inside the police headquarters.
He was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries.
A clerk at a Chevron gas station in Paso Robles spotted Lira overnight on Thursday, according to KEYT-TV. That Chevron is located less than a mile away from Thursday afternoon's standoff.
The clerk said he seemed nervous and was "sweating profusely," but did not show a weapon while inside.
A clerk at a Chevron gas station in Paso Robles spotted Lira overnight on Thursday, according to KEYT-TV.
After he was spotted at the Chevron, law enforcement believed Lira went into the nearby riverbed, starting a massive manhunt involving hundreds of officers.
Law enforcement agencies in Kings, Tulare and Santa Barbara counties were assisting with the search, along with the California Highway Patrol and the FBI.
Lira has a criminal past in and ties to the Central Valley.
Public court documents show he once lived in Fresno and Visalia. He has previous offenses in Tulare County, and two open cases, including assault and battery charges.
Lira's father, Jose Lira, told Action News his son has a history of mental illness and that he doesn't take his medication. Lira has been in and out of hospitals and jail for most of his life.