LAPD SWAT Officer James Veenstra is out of emergency surgery after being shot in the face and jaw. Veteran SWAT officer Randal Simmons was killed by a bullet to the neck during the same 11-hour standoff.
KPCC’s Patricia Nazario was at the news conference outside the Northridge Hospital Medical Center a short time ago and joins us with the latest.
LAPD SWAT Officer James Veenstra, 51, was shot in the face and jaw by 20-year-old Edwin Rivera at Rivera’s Winnetka home. Photo: LAPD
LAPD SWAT Officer Randal Simmons, 51, was the first SWAT officer killed in the line of duty since the elite Special Weapons and Tactics team began in 1967. Photo: LAPD
Since then: Simmons’ widow, Lisa Simmons, told his story in the book 41 D: Man of Valor: The Story of SWAT Officer Randy Simmons.
The Los Angeles Police Department honors SWAT Officer Randal D. Simmons.
This report is part of a five-part series on the killing of LAPD SWAT Officer Randal Simmons. See all five reports →
