Officers shoot and kill man who took ex-girlfriend hostage after shooting incident in Redlands, officials say
A man was shot inside an Office Depot in what officials described as a domestic violence incident. His injuries were not life-threatening. (Credit: Southern California News Group)
Officers reportedly shot and killed a man who had been holding his ex-girlfriend hostage on Thursday, March 24. The fatal shooting followed a tense, hours-longs stand-off, during which the man was holding his girlfriend hostage at gunpoint, according to law enforcement officials. (See initial story here)
Redlands Police officers and San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies initially responded to a report of an armed person at an Office Depot, at about 2:20 p.m.
The incident quickly evolved and escalated after responding officers received updated reports of one or more shots being fired at the Office Depot. Officials from the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department later described the incident as a “domestic violence shooting.”
After shooting at his ex-girlfriend and inadvertently hitting a bystander, the man, identified as Andrew Mike, 29, of Downey, took his ex-girlfriend, identified as Kristen Bauer hostage at gun-point and fled the area. He eventually ended up along a pathway, adjacent to a residential street, where he held Bauer hostage for several hours.
As the situation unfolded, Redlands Police Chief Mark Garcia tweeted a message confirming that one person had been shot inside the the Office Depot at the beginning of the incident. Garcia stated the shooting victim’s injuries were not life-threatening.
A police official at the scene confirmed Mike shot an unidentified man in the finger, and was holding his ex-girlfriend hostage.
As the fluent hostage crisis was still underway, the situation was described as “active, but contained,” in a tweet from the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department.
Throughout the incident, Mike, who was using Bauer as a human shield against officers, could alternately be seen pointing a handgun at Bauer and also pointing the gun at his own chest and under his chin.
A Bearcat tactical vehicle could be seen at the hostage stand-off. The vehicle was later used to transport the hostage to a waiting helicopter after she was reportedly shot by the suspect. (Credit: Southern California News Group)
At about 4:30 p.m., with hostage negotiations failing, officers reportedly moved in and an officer-involved shooting occurred, according to sheriff’s spokeswoman Cindy Bachman. Bachman confirmed one or more officers had fired multiple shots at Mike, who was later pronounced dead at the scene.
Bauer, who was also shot in the abdomen, was quickly transported in a Bearcat tactical vehicle to a waiting helicopter. She was flown to Loma Linda Hospital. As of this update, the full extent of her injuries was unknown, however some news agencies have reported she is listed in critical condition and “clinging to life.”
As of this report, it had not been determined if Bauer was shot by Mike or officers, however, multiple unconfirmed reports indicated Bauer was shot by Mike just before he was shot by officers.
This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.
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