Off-duty police officer is shot in Downey

An off-duty Monterey Park police officer was shot and killed on Monday in front of an LA Fitness in the Downey Landing shopping center. The victim was identified as 26-year-old Gardiel Solorio.

Solorio had attended California State University, Los Angeles, and attained a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He was working with the Monterey Park Police Department after graduating from the Police Academy in July.

At a news conference on Tuesday, Police Chief Kelly Gordon talked about Solorio, saying, “He was humble, dedicated, selfless and hardworking, but even a better person.”

“[Solorio joined] to be a good role model to his nephews. And he really wanted to make an impact to the community.”

Downey police and paramedics responding to the shots-fired call at 3:35 p.m. found Solorio inside his car in a parking lot, unresponsive with gunshot wounds. After performing CPR, paramedics declared him dead at the scene.

Investigators revealed that Solorio’s vehicle seemed to have crashed into another car and that the driver-side window was broken, according to CBS News. The authorities don’t know whether the police officer was targeted or a victim of a random attack, but they are following up on several leads.

Downey Police Department Captain Scott Loughner said on Tuesday, "The investigation is rapidly evolving and unfortunately, I cannot share what leads we are currently following up on as we do not want to compromise the investigation.”

Anyone with information about the shooting of Gardiel Solorio is encouraged to contact the police.

 Image credit: Monterey Police Department Instagram Page