Roseville police release names of hostage killed and suspect in Mahany Park standoff
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Roseville Hostage Shooting
One person is dead and three more people were injured in a Roseville shooting and hostage situation early Thursday afternoon.
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Authorities on Friday released the name of a man who was killed Thursday after he and his wife were taken hostage by a gunman trying to evade police in a rapidly escalating encounter at a Roseville park.
James MacEgan of Roseville and his spouse were taken hostage by an armed suspect at Mahany Park during the confrontation, the Roseville Police Department announced in a news release.
The Police Department also released the suspect’s name: 35-year-old Eric J. Abril of Roseville, who authorities say shot a California Highway Patrol officer at the park before holding MacEgan and his wife at gunpoint, shooting them both before he surrendered to officers.
Abril was wounded in an exchange of gunfire with officers. He was hospitalized until Friday evening, when he was released from the hospital and booked into the South Placer Jail in Roseville on charges of murder, attempted murder, taking a hostage, being a felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm with intent to commit a felony, assault with a firearm on a peace officer and assault with a firearm, police said in an update Saturday morning.
Police described the CHP officer and surviving hostage’s injuries as non-life-threatening.
Roseville police Lt. Chris Ciampa told The Sacramento Bee on Friday that the department was not releasing MacEgan’s age out of respect for his family’s privacy.
Public records list MacEgan’s age at 72.
Police radio dispatches recorded by Broadcastify.com indicated a gunman had taken two hostages and then shot them, one of them a 71-year-old woman who apparently was out for a walk with her husband.
The Police Department on Friday confirmed the initial police shooting Thursday afternoon was between the suspect and the California Highway Patrol.
Roseville police officers responded to assist the CHP, at which time Roseville police officers and CHP officers confronted the suspect. Police said gunfire was exchanged between the officers and the suspect. The suspect was wounded and taken into custody shortly after.
It’s unclear which or how many officers fired their weapons at Abril. The Police Department as of Friday had not released those details.
“The Roseville Police Department will continue investigating into next week and will release more information at that time,” police officials wrote in the news release. “We would again like to send our condolences to the victims, the victim’s family and everyone involved in yesterday’s incident.”
About 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Roseville police officers received reports of the shooting at the city’s 255-acre Mahany Park where residents gather for walks, visits to a dog park, a library and baseball and softball fields.
The alleged shooter was the “suspect of an ongoing felony investigation,” the CHP’s Auburn office said in a news release Friday. CHP officers contacted him near Mahany Park in an attempt to serve a search warrant. The CHP’s statement did not disclose the nature of the warrant.
The suspect shot at officers while running to a greenbelt area, striking one CHP officer, the agency wrote.
Dispatch audio described the gunman wearing a black shirt and gray pants, running and firing a handgun as firefighters at Station 5 inside the park saw what was happening and rushed out to help.
“Be advised we have one shot in the chest directly outside Station 5,” someone said on police audio. “We’re bringing them inside Station 5 now.”
The gunman ran toward a ravine in the park, where the suspect allegedly took two people hostage, according to the police audio. Law enforcement officials from across the Sacramento region rushed to scene. Police swarmed the park and were calling for hostage rescue teams as the suspect reportedly demanded police to back off.
The police audio also included indications that police were in negotiations with the suspect before he surrendered. Minutes after dispatchers reported the gunman was walking out with a hostage, a voice announced that the standoff was over.
“There were heroic efforts and responses from multiple allied agencies who responded to assist during this tragic event,” police said in the news release. “We would also like to thank the Firefighters from Station 5 who were quick to respond and safely bring the injured CHP officer into the fire station for refuge and provided immediate medical treatment prior to transport.”
This story was originally published April 7, 2023 at 3:38 PM.
