The local paper updated.
http://www.avpress.com/n/susty1.hts LLANO - A routine trespassing investigation turned deadly for a Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy who was shot and killed by an unknown attacker Saturday.
Deputy Stephen Sorensen, 46, was killed sometime around noon while checking a residence on 200th Street East for a suspected trespasser, said Los Angeles County Undersheriff William Stonich.
Little was known Saturday evening about Sorensen's killer and the circumstances of the deputy's death - the first Los Angeles County deputy to die in the line of duty this year, said Faye Bugarin, the sheriff office's public information officer.
Throughout the night, an army of law enforcement officers from across Southern California continued to swarm a wide perimeter around the shooting site looking for the killer.
Sorensen, a community deputy in Lake Los Angeles, was helping to plan the annual parade for the Lake L.A. Days Festival in late September when he left to investigate the alleged trespassing. About 11:30 a.m. he called his station to report he was going to the scene - a Llano residence with a trailer and outbuildings.
"He was always working on his days off," said Carl Deeley, captain of the Lancaster station. "He was doing that (Saturday)."
Deputies don't know much about the incident Sorensen was investigating. The trespass call was not reported into the sheriff's station, but Sorensen probably saw something suspicious or was told by some person in the community about the trespasser, Stonich said.
"It's not unusual up here with all the vacant land around," Deeley said, adding that people often contact the sheriff's department or a deputy because they see a person or a trailer on their land.
Usually a deputy will talk to the trespasser and land owner and try to find a resolution, Deeley said.
As the community deputy assigned to Lake L.A., Sorensen lived in the community with his wife Christine and his 3-year-old adopted child as a resident deputy. He responded to residents' request for help 24 hours a day.
Sorensen was a deputy for 12 years and Lake L.A.'s community deputy for three years.
"He had a partnership with this community, closer than anything I've seen in law enforcement," Deeley said.
But at 12:12 p.m. - 30 minutes after Sorensen called to say where he was heading - a neighbor called the Palmdale station and reported that he heard "approximately a half-dozen gunshots" in the area, Stonich said.
After that call, Lancaster and Palmdale station deputies raced to Llano searching for Sorensen. His patrol car was found outside the residence he investigated and deputies found physical evidence of a struggle.
But Sorensen was nowhere in sight.
"We found our deputy's vehicle," Stonich said. "We did not find our deputy."
His body was found between 1:15 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. approximately a quarter mile away from the where he and his killer apparently fought. Investigators did not know whether Sorensen pursued the suspect to that location or was dragged there after he was killed, said Stonich.
More than 200 law enforcement officers - on and off duty - then converged on Llano and the Lake Los Angeles area. Long trails of cars, with lights flashing and sirens blaring, flew up and down Highway 138 and Palmdale Boulevard throughout Saturday afternoon looking for the relocating command centers and offering any assistance needed.
"Anytime we have an incident that involves the murder of a law enforcement officer, then the suspect is at large, we're going to bring all our resources to bear," Stonich said. "Others voluntarily responded."
Deputies from all over Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties came to the scene. California Highway Patrolmen, California Forestry Service, and Los Angles County firefighters showed up. The bomb squad, search-and-rescue, SWAT teams and K-9 divisions traveled from one command post to another offering their assistance to find the suspect.
"Deputies who knew Sorensen well are deeply, deeply saddened," commented Stonich. "Everyone in law enforcement takes this hard."
Deputies combed the expansive, rocky desert terrain from Palmdale Boulevard to Highway 138 with three helicopters circling a five-mile radius looking for a suspicious person. Originally, the search was limited to the immediate area of Sorensen's disappearance, then the search spread throughout the desert.
"The most difficult part is not knowing exactly who that is we're looking for," Stonich said.
The suspect was still at large late Saturday and is considered armed and dangerous. No murder weapon was found Saturday.
No description of Sorensen's killer was available. Deputies are requesting that the community tell them anything they know about the incident.
They are especially interested in any information about what Sorensen was investigating and doing before he was killed.
Anyone with information regarding Sorensen's murder can contact sheriff's homicide at (323) 890-5500.
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