Two police officers die of injuries after being shot while responding to call in California

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(EL MONTE, Calif.) -- Two police officers have died after being shot in El Monte, California, Tuesday while responding to a possible stabbing at a motel, authorities said.

The El Monte Police Department said two officers "immediately took gunfire upon arrival" at the Siesta Inn.

The officers were taken to LAC-USC Medical Center, where they died of their injuries, ABC News Los Angeles station KABC-TV reported.

The suspect was also shot and died at the scene, according to KABC.

Neither the police officers nor the suspect have been identified, and additional details about the incident were not immediately available.

"There are no words to describe our grief and devastation by this senseless act as we learned about the passing of two of our police officers," the city, police department and El Monte Police Officers Association said in a statement. "It weighs heavy on our hearts and we are sending our support to their families. We would also like to thank the El Monte community and our surrounding government agencies for the outpouring support we have received in the last few hours."

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has taken over the investigation, the El Monte Police Department said.

El Monte is east of Los Angeles.

Wednesday, June 15, 2022 at 6:08AM by Melissa Gaffney, ABC News Permalink