Paso Robles police say a transient thought to have shot a San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s deputy and then targeted others in a series of attacks was himself shot dead Thursday.
The death of 26-year-old Mason James Lira occurred during a confrontation in a Paso Robles riverbed. Earlier Thursday, Lira had wounded three law enforcement officers, all of whom are expected to survive.
At the time of his death, Lira has wanted for a Wednesday morning attack on the Paso Robles police station that injured a sheriff’s deputy, also expected to survive, and the killing of a transient at the nearby Amtrak station.
Lira’s father told The Associated Press he thinks the shooting at the police station might have been a suicide attempt.
Jose Lira said his son had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, Asperger’s syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He said his son has been in and out of jail and treatment centers, didn’t take his medication, and often thinks he is a special agent or a soldier.
Investigators said they’re still trying to determine a motive for the attacks.
