Did friendly fire hit any officers in Paso Robles shootout? Sheriff is investigating
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office hasn’t said who shot the three officers injured in Thursday’s deadly gunfight with Mason Lira, and a spokesman would not rule out Friday whether friendly fire might have been a factor.
Lira was killed by officers Thursday evening following a nearly two-day multi-agency manhunt in Paso Robles and Templeton, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.
Lira was suspected of fatally shooting a homeless man north of the Paso Robles train station and firing on officers near the police station, striking a San Luis Obispo County sheriff’s deputy in the head.
That deputy, Nicholas Dreyfus, is recovering following surgery at a trauma center outside the county.
Family members have identified the homicide victim as James Watson. A GoFundMe campaign has been created to support Watson’s family and cover funeral costs.
As officers searched for Lira on Thursday afternoon, an Arroyo Grande SWAT team member, Sgt. Michael Smiley, was shot in the calf after Lira reportedly emerged from a hiding space in the riverbed near Volpi Ysabel Road and Ramada Drive and began firing on officers.
Smiley is recovering at home, the city said Friday.
The final two injuries in the search came as officers from several agencies closed in on Lira, who fled into a nearby vineyard, according to a timeline provided by the Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Ian Parkinson said at a news conference Thursday that a CHP officer — whose identity has yet to be released — was shot in the chest, with the round being stopped by the officer’s bulletproof vest.
That officer was pulled to safety by Kings County Sheriff’s Deputy Blake Bursiaga, who also was struck by a bullet in the leg as he retrieved the fallen officer.
At the news conference, Parkinson did not specifically say that Lira shot either officer.
Asked via text message Friday whether each officers’ injuries are believed to have been from Lira’s bullets, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tony Cipolla responded only: “That is why we are conducting an investigation.”
Asked whether friendly fire was a possibility given the circumstances of the final gunfight that led to Lira’s death, and whether that is a focus of their investigation at this point, Cipolla responded:
“We always have an independent investigation after an OIS (Officer Involved Shooting). So we will wait to see what that investigation yields.”
Kings County Sheriff’s Office Cmdr. David Dodd declined to comment Friday on whether another officers’ bullet may have injured his deputy, saying that he’s been directed to refer all questions about the Lira operation to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.
More than 150 officers were involved in the effort to capture Lira, including from every San Luis Obispo County law enforcement agency, as well as the CHP, the FBI, ATF, and Kings County Sheriff’s Office.
This story was originally published June 12, 2020 at 6:59 PM.
