Citrus Heights PD identify suspect in Sunrise Mall shooting
Bullet narrowly misses bystander during gun battle near mall
Bullet narrowly misses bystander during gun battle near mall
Bullet narrowly misses bystander during gun battle near mall
A suspect was killed Tuesday night during a gun battle near Sunrise Mall, Citrus Heights police said.
Grayson Schuessler, 26, of Orangevale, was identified as the suspect Wednesday night by police. He used a .357 magnum revolver during the shooting, police said.
The shooting happened around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday after officers got a call about an armed suspect who shot through the storefront window of the Macy’s.
"The store was occupied with customers at the time of the shooting," police said in a news release Wednesday. "Thankfully, no one was injured as a result of the suspect’s actions."
When officers arrived at the scene, the suspect, later identified as Schuessler, ran. Police said a K9 and his handler chased after Schuessler. The K9 was released and "eventually engaged him," police said.
Officers saw Schuessler shoot at the K9 at least twice "at point-blank range and then fire towards them," police said. The officers then returned fire, hitting and killing the Schuessler.
During the shooting, a bullet went through an officer’s uniform, but it did not injure the officer, police said.
“The bullet went through (the officer’s) shirt, so the outside of his bulletproof vest but in the slack area of his uniform, if you will. It went through the uniform,” Lt. Chad Morris explained.
The officer was taken to a hospital to be checked out as a precaution, police said. The officer is OK.
When Axel returned to his handler, his face was covered in blood. Police said his handler believed that Axel was shot and rushed him to an animal hospital.
"Upon the vet cleaning the K9’s face and head, it was learned the K9 had amazingly not sustained a gunshot injury," police said in the news release. "The blood on the K9’s head was determined to be from the suspect."
Also during the shooting, a bullet went through a bystander’s vehicle. The bystander was not shot and was taken to a hospital as a precaution. Police said she will be OK.
The bullet went "through her front window, through her headrest," bystander Krisi Johnson said. "She had a 4-year-old child in the back seat and a dog. It missed everyone and shattered the back window of her SUV."
Johnson and members of the American muscle car group NorCal TnT were at the mall and rushed to help the woman.
“She was bleeding," Johnson said. "She had lacerations on her arms, on her face from the glass that came from her windshield.”
Johnson added that when the bullet went through the driver's headrest, it grazed her scalp and pulled a chunk of hair.
“It pulled her hair out," Johnson said. "She kept complaining that her scalp was burning. So she really had thought she had been shot in the head. When we looked through, there was no blood on her head, but there was a chunk that had no hair. And then we went back and noticed that the hair was in the bullet hole in the head rest.”
Officers at the scene credit Axel for saving their lives, police said.
"This incident occurred in a heavily populated area," police said in the statement. "We believe an active shooter-type event was avoided due to the K9’s actions and the heroic actions of our officers."
“This was a very scary event -- very dangerous event,” Police Chief Ron Lawrence said. “This highlights and underscores the dangers that police officers face every day. And, this is a really serious event, where we have a suspect with a firearm.”
Police said Schuessler was on probation for elder abuse when the shooting happened. Citrus Heights police had one prior contact with Schuessler in 2014 for a traffic violation.
Police said Schuessler was found to also be in possession of a black airsoft gun, which looked like a semi-automatic handgun, and more than 20 additional rounds for the revolver the night of the shooting.
Police continue to investigate.
Deputies with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol are assisting in the investigation.