Names Of Federal Officers Released In Wake Of Shooting
Authorities today released the name of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement supervisor wounded last night in a federal building shooting, along with the name of his assailant, a fellow agent who himself was shot to death by a third agent.
The shootings just before 6 p.m. Thursday at the Glenn M. Anderson Federal Building in Long Beach left 30-year law enforcement veteran Kevin Kozak wounded and 45-year-old Ezequiel Garcia dead, ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice said.
Authorities withheld the name of the agent who killed Garcia.
Kozak is a deputy special agent in charge for ICE/Homeland Security Investigations in Los Angeles, and Garcia was a supervisory special agent, Kice said.
Garcia repeatedly shot Kozak during an unspecified dispute, officials said.
Kozak underwent surgery Thursday at St. Mary Medical Center, where he was taken by the Long Beach Fire Department after being shot.
Kozak was listed in stable condition today, and is “alert and talking,” Kice said.
Long Beach Police Department Deputy Chief Robert Luna gave an account of what happened last night during a news conference outside the federal building.
“This situation began with what we can characterize as an incident of workplace violence involving two federal agents in their office space,” Martinez said.
“When the incident escalated, one agent fired several rounds at the other agent, wounding him. Another agent working nearby intervened and fired his weapon to prevent additional rounds from being fired at the victim. This resulted in the death of the shooter.”
The wounded agent suffered multiple gunshot wounds, said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge for ICE/Homeland Security Investigations in Los Angeles, who also spoke at the news conference.
“When something like this happens, it’s incomprehensible,” Arnold said.
The shooting is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations’ Office of Professional Responsibility, the Long Beach Police Department and the FBI. The shooting occurred on the seventh floor of the building at the northwest corner of Magnolia Avenue and Ocean Boulevard.
