Suspects sought in cop slaying

California authorities stepped up their investigation of the fatal shooting of a Downey police officer as he sat in his car in the department’s parking lot.

During a news conference today, authorities with the Downey Police Department, as well as the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, identified the slain officer as Officer Ricardo “Ricky” Galvez.

Galvez, 29, was a former Marine who’d served two tours of duty. Police said he was sitting in his personal car around 11 p.m. Wednesday as his shift ended when he was shot by at least two people.

“While he was sitting there, a couple of individuals ran up on his car, shot into his car and struck him with gunfire,” Lt. John Corina of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

Galvez was found dead in his car. “It doesn’t look like it was random,” Corina said of the slaying.

Corina said another Downey police officer who was in his patrol car heard the shooting and “chased” the individuals, who’d gotten into a car, to the city of Montebello. The individuals left the car in Montebello, Corina said.

Several people were being held for questioning and authorities continued to look for others with information regarding the shooting, according to ABC station KABC-TV in Los Angeles.

“Well, it’s pretty brazen,” Corina said. “These people obviously, for whatever reason, were targeting this officer or, it appears to be, were targeting this officer.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.