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Sunday, March 22, 2009

Fourth Oakland police officer has died


OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - An Oakland police officer shot during a traffic stop died Sunday, bringing to four the number of officers killed on the deadliest day in the department’s history, police said.

Officer John Hege, 41, died at Highland Hospital after being gravely wounded in the first of two shootings on Saturday, Oakland police spokesman Jeff Thomason said.

A 26-year-old parolee wanted on a parole violation opened fire on Hege and 40-year-old Sgt. Mark Dunakin after they pulled him over Saturday afternoon, police said. Dunakin died that day. Hege was hospitalized with a major brain injury and survived through the night, his family said.

Suspect Lovelle Mixon was slain later Saturday afternoon in a gunfight with police that left two more officers dead. Thomason identified those officers as Sgt. Ervin Romans, 43, and Sgt. Daniel Sakai, 35.

Oakland police said never in the department’s history had so many officers been killed in the line of duty in a single day.


Our prayers to the families of the fallen police officers. God speed.