Suspect killed and officers injured during shootout

The manhunt for a suspect who had fired upon and wounded a San Bernardino Sheriff’s Deputy earlier this week came to a dramatic conclusion on Wednesday in a neighborhood in Highland with a shootout that ended with the suspect’s death and two more deputies injured.

The 34-year old suspect was identified as Ervin Olikong. At the time of the shooting Olikong had a warrant out for his arrest for assault with a deadly weapon in 2019.  He had an extensive criminal history and was apparently a member of a San Bernardino gang.

Both officers were treated for their injuries at local hospitals, gunshot wounds, and were expected to survive.  One officer has already been discharged from the hospital.

The motives for Olikong having fired at the deputy the day before in a traffic stop will always remain unclear but it was highly likely that he was aware of the outstanding warrant and was afraid he would be arrested and sent to prison.

“No system is perfect and people slip through the cracks and in this case an officer ran into someone who had a very good reason to not want to be identified by the police,” said Dr. Adrian Moore Vice President of The Reason Foundation.

The shooting that occurred in Highland is being handled by the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department according to Sgt. Thomas, the PIO with the San Bernardino Police Department.