A man has been charged in connection with the shootings that killed a Southern California police officer and another man and injured a second officer over the weekend, according to authorities.
Eduardo Roberto Medina-Berumen, 22, was charged with two charges of murder with extraordinary circumstances on June 3 in the deaths of Baldwin Park Police Officer Samuel Riveros and Darius Wong, a 43-year-old father of two from Hacienda Heights, according to police. Medina-Berumen also faces two counts of attempted murder and one count of possessing an assault weapon.
Medina-Berumen faces death or life in state prison without the possibility of release if convicted of all counts, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Nathan Hochman, District Attorney, stated that his office will decide whether to pursue the death sentence at a later date.
Medina-Berumen was accused of shooting Riveros on the night of May 31 after officers responded to a call of shots fired in a neighborhood in Baldwin Park, which is roughly 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. The district attorney’s office said that Medina-Berumen also shot and killed Wong, who had just parked his automobile.
“The filing of charges in the tragic murders of Officer Samuel Riveros and an innocent victim brings us one step closer to justice,” LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said in a statement. “This vicious and unwarranted act of violence directed at a brave and dedicated public servant is completely unacceptable. We mourn alongside Officer Riveros’ family, the Baldwin Park Police Department, and the entire law enforcement community.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department continues to investigate the matter.