Sep 6, 2008 6:53 pm US/Pacific
Officer, 2 Others Killed In Martinez Gun Fight
MARTINEZ (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
Three people, including a police sergeant, were killed after a domestic disturbance at a Martinez hair salon turned into a gun fight Saturday, authorities and witnesses said.
Martinez police responded to Elegant Hair Designs at 3596 Pacheco Blvd. near the Martinez Reservoir about 11:30 a.m. where a woman had reported that her ex-husband was trying to kill her.
Contra Costa County Sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee said after two officers arrived, they were confronted by a man with a gun.
The gunman then fled to a four-unit apartment complex behind the salon and shots were fired during an altercation inside an apartment, Lee explained.
Martinez police Sgt. Paul Starzyk suffered gunshot wounds and was taken to John Muir Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead, according to Lee.
A man and a woman, who were not immediately identified by authorities, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Starzyk was a 12-year veteran of the Martinez Police Department and leaves behind his wife and three small children.
Witnesses indicated that more than a dozen people, including a bridal party, were in the salon when the gunman appeared. No one inside the salon was shot.
The intersection of Pacheco Boulevard and Morello Avenue was expected to remain closed until midnight while police investigated the scene, according to the California Highway Patrol.
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