Deputy Sheriff Lawrence "Mike" Lavieri

Lawrence "Mike" Lavieri

Deputy Sheriff Mike Lavieri was shot and killed when he and his partner responded to a gas station to investigate a suspicious person.

Deputy Lavieri located the man inside a stolen car and began to question him. During the questioning, the suspect opened fire, wounding Deputy Lavieri's partner. Deputy Lavieri then chased the suspect into a home a half-block away, where the two exchanged shots. Deputy Lavieri was seriously wounded in the exchange, with a gunshot to the face. Deputy Lavieri was transported to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where he succumbed to his wounds. His partner, seriously wounded, recovered.

The suspect was taken into custody after a mob of angry citizens restrained him. The man, 35, was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 30 years to life.

Deputy Lavieri was a United States Army veteran and had served with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for 16 years. He was survived by his father, mother, sister, and girlfriend.