Fourth Police Officer Dies From Oakland California Shootouts

Fourth Police Officer Dies From Oakland California Shootouts. John Hege, 41, who was on life support, was pronounced brain dead about noon Sunday at Highland Hospital. His body is being kept on support until organ donations are arranged.

Officer Hege was the fourth officer to die after Lovelle Mixon, 26, of Oakland, was pulled over in a traffic stop opened fire and then battled SWAT officers at a nearby building Saturday, March 22nd, 2009.

The gunman, Lovelle Mixon, was fatally shot in a gun battle with SWAT officers in an apartment complex Saturday.

Mixon had an extensive criminal history and was in violation of parole for assault with a deadly weapon. He also had prior convictions in Alameda County for grand theft and possession of marijuana.

The incident began about 1 p.m. Saturday in east Oakland when two motorcycle officers tried to pull over a car for a “fairly routine traffic stop,” said Dave Kozicki, the deputy police chief.

Emergency call dispatchers then received reports that two officers were shot and needed help. Those officers were Hege and Sgt. Mark Dunakin, 40, an 18-year veteran of the force, who died Saturday.

Soon after the first shooting, authorities began an intense search for the gunman. An anonymous caller directed authorities to a building on an adjacent street where the gunman was believed to be barricaded in a apartment.

The gunman opened fire on SWAT officers who entered the apartment, killing two officers, Sgt. Ervin Romans, 43, and Sgt. Daniel Sakai, 35, before police returned fire and killed the suspect.

Sgt. Romans had been with the department since 1996 and Sgt. Sakai, since 2000.

A fifth officer was grazed by a bullet, but he was fortunate, he was treated and released.

In a statement, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called it “a tragic day for law enforcement officers everywhere.”

“All four officers dedicated their lives to public safety and selflessly worked to protect the people of Oakland,” Schwarzenegger said.

In honor of the officers, he said, flags at the state Capitol would be flown at half-staff being pulled over in a traffic stop opened fire and then battled SWAT officers at a nearby building on Saturday, March 22nd, 2009.

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