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LA County Sheriff McDonnell: Slain Sergeant Was Shot 'Execution-Style'

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell called the shooting death of a veteran sergeant in Lancaster a "calculated execution."

Sgt. Steve Owen was answering a burglary-in-progress call on Wednesday when he was gunned down Wednesday.

At a news conference on Thursday,  McDonnell said 27-year-old Trenton Lovell shot Owen, then stood over his body and fired four more times. He says the man then searched Owen's body, looking for the sergeant's gun in order to shoot the first deputy who responded to the gunfire. McDonnell described the 29-year sheriff's department veteran as the "Go-to guy" and a "Role model" McDonnell added that the death penalty would be appropriate in this case.

"This is an individual who no matter who you talk to in the community, was a larger than lifer person," McDonnell said. "He's not somebody that would be swayed by political correctness and he would do the right thing."

 

Shortly after, Owen's body was transported by hearse from the L.A. County Coroners Office to a funeral home in Lancaster.

McDonnell said Lovell was shot in the shoulder while pointing a gun at a deputy. Lovell was later arrested and remains jailed.

Lovell was on parole after a 2009 armed robbery conviction, the LA Times reported. The sheriff says Lovell had a dozen arrests and served two terms in state prison.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

 

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