Suspect’s fatal wounds not self-inflicted

A forensic pathologist has confirmed James Long, 60, who was in a shootout with Tehama County deputies on Tuesday, after shooting a California Highway Patrol officer, did not die from self-inflicted gunshot wounds but from hemorrhagic shock caused by bullet wounds to his lower torso and arms.

“While I believe the fatal bullet wounds are from one of my deputies’ weapons we will not be able to say for sure until we have the ballistic results,” he said.

On Thursday Long’s autopsy was conducted at the Yolo County Sheriff’s morgue by Dr. Gregory Reiber, said Tehama County Sheriff Clay Parker.

Parker said the two deputies involved in the shooting, Chad Dada and Bob Hopton, have been placed on paid administrative leave but have been cleared to return to full duty when they are ready.

“We are conducting an internal affairs investigation, but having been on-scene during most of Tuesday’s incident, following radio traffic through the entire incident and having walked throughout the area of the shooting, I find the officers’ actions to be justified,” Parker explained.

Long, 60, died in his Reno Avenue home on Tuesday sometime during a nine-hour standoff with law enforcement.

California Highway Patrol Officer David Madrigal received the gunshot wound just above his right knee while responding to a domestic disturbance call in the 22000 block of Reno Avenue west of Highway 99W.

Madrigal remains at Mercy Medical Center in Redding, following surgery for the gunshot wound to his right leg. He is listed in fair condition, according to a Mercy Medical Center spokes person.

“He is in good spirits and doing well,” CHP Officer Roger Smith said. “The surgery was successful, but Dave will be recovering for quite some time.”

Madrigal, 41, an 18-year CHP veteran, has served at the Red Bluff office for two-and-a-half years.

Long allegedly shot Madrigal after his commonlaw wife, Jean Bradley, called 911 about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. She said he was throwing and breaking household items, according to Tehama County Sheriff Clay Parker.

The Tehama and Shasta inter-agency SWAT team entered the home about 7:30 p.m. and found Long’s body on the kitchen floor.

The standoff

“Jean and Jim had got in a fight over a number of things including that fact she had disconnected the Internet from their home,” according to family friend Susan Mabe. “I was on the phone with Jean when Jim was throwing and breaking things in their home. I told her to get out of the house. She called the police and got out.”

Mabe said Bradley told her, “Jim has flipped out.”

Bradley ran out of the house and hid near a motor home about 50 feet from the house, where she remained until police arrived.

Parker said the first officer to arrive on-scene was Deputy Chad Dada, followed by Madrigal and then Deputy Bob Hopton. The officer’s vehicels were parked one behind the another in the driveway on the eastside of the house.

“As soon as the officers got out of their patrol vehicles, Long stepped out of the eastside door of his house and started firing, using both a shotgun and a rifle,” Parker said.

Hit above his right knee when a round ricocheted underneath his car, Madrigal never drew his gun, Parker said.

Dada and Hopton returned fire. Using a shotgun and his .40 caliber pistol, Dada fired 15 rounds at the suspect. Hopton protected Madrigal, firing a 15-round magazine from his .40 cal handgun, Parker said.

Soon after the “officer down” call went out, CHP Officer Roger Smith arrived in a patrol car and with Hopton’s assistance was able to get Madrigal into his vehicle and transport him to a ambulance waiting on Highway 99W.

The ambulance took the injured officer to St. Elizabeth Hospital where a helicopter then transported  Madrigal to Mercy Medical Center in Redding.

“The two deputies did everything exactly as they should have,” Parker said.

While Madrigal was being transported,  the suspect went back into his house and Dada had moved his bullet-ridden vehicle through a field and to a safe location not far from Long’s home.

Within minutes, dozens of law enforcement officers from multiple agencies were on scene.

SWAT teams from Tehama and Shasta counties established a perimeter around the property.

The Tehama County Sheriff’s Office used its new telephonic emergency notification system to evacuate the surrounding area. Gerber Elementary School went on voluntary lockdown until the end of the school day.

Included in the evacuation were Long’s father, who lives on the same property, and his sister and brother-in-law, who live nearby.

After the shooting, officers tried to contact Long, using loud speakers and telephones, without success. Eventually, they fired tear gas into the house.

“We didn’t get one iota of response from the suspect,” Parker said.

The only possible contact Long made was a call to Bradley’s cell phone approximately 20 minutes after the shootout, according to Mabe.

“He blamed everything on her and said it was all her fault,” she said.

Finally, the SWAT team sent a remote camera into the house through an open door, Parker said, allowing them to see the suspect’s body.

Officers found an arsenal of weapons and ammunition in the kitchen and living room.

“We located a .223 caliber rifle with scope and a full magazine, another .223 caliber rifle and two 12-gauge shotguns with both double-ought buckshot and slugs,” Parker said.

“This situation has turned out to be a terrible tragedy, it couldn’t have been handled any better. Lives were saved because law enforcement responded correctly and cautiously,” he said.