Arcadia police officer, two others shot in domestic disturbance incident expected to survive

An Arcadia police officer and two others who were shot and wounded during a domestic disturbance incident that ended when the gunman surrendered to police are expected to survive, authorities said Thursday.

All three gunshot victims were transported to Huntington Memorial Hospital, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Derrick Alfred. All of them were listed as stable, he said.

The officer suffered a gunshot wound to the side of his face, Alfred said.

The suspect, who has been identified as Nurhan Venk, 47, was arrested around 10:40 p.m. Wednesday after an hours-long standoff with officers, authorities said. He is accused of shooting his mother and a neighbor in addition to the police officer.

In a statement provided to The Times on Thursday night, Venk’s family said they were “deeply saddened and devastated by the tragic events.”

“We ask that you respect our privacy and allow us to heal as a family,” the statement said. “The actions of our brother were caused by a long history of psychological and emotional issues, which were compounded by substance abuse and delusional thoughts.”

The family said their thoughts and prayers were with the officer, their mother and their neighbors.

The incident in the 5200 block of Greenfield Avenue began around 5:45 p.m. when Arcadia police were called to a family disturbance involving a person armed with a gun, Alfred said.

Venk, recently estranged from his family, showed up at his family’s home unannounced with multiple guns, Alfred said. He had recently lived at the home and was asked to move out.

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Venk had a history of showing up at the residence unannounced and damaging property, Alfred said. His mother, Ankine Venk, 73, was in the home at the time of the incident, along with his siblings and 12-year-old nephew.

“When the officers arrived, they were met outside by a female who told them that her brother was in there with a gun. The officers then heard a gunshot from inside. They quickly formulated a plan to go in and conduct rescues or confront the suspect,” Alfred said.

As the officers prepared to enter the residence and line up behind a ballistic shield, “shots ring out from inside the house toward the officers,” Alfred said. After one officer was shot, the other officers retreated, he said.

L.A. County deputies were called shortly after 6 p.m. to assist Arcadia police officers who were taking fire, said Deputy Brenda Serna, a Sheriff’s Department spokesperson.

More shots were heard from inside the house before Venk’s mother ran out of the house with a gunshot wound to the chest, Alfred said. The nephew was also able to run out of the house.

The mother, nephew and officer were then rescued by police and taken to safety, he said.

Zoo Ching Yang, 83, who lives directly across the street, was also shot, Alfred said. Police suspect Yang was looking out his window when a stray bullet struck him in the face. Yang was carrying his 4-month-old grandson, who was not injured, according to KABC-TV Channel 7.

Venk then barricaded himself in the home alone, Alfred said. A SWAT team was then called.

After several hours of crisis-negotiation talks, Venk agreed to surrender around 10:40 p.m. and was arrested by authorities, Alfred said. Venk sustained what police believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his thigh, he said.

“None of the officers fired into the house because they didn’t know if there were additional people inside. It looks like [the suspect] may have shot himself accidentally,” Alfred said.

After being taken to a hospital, Venk was arrested and booked on suspicion of attempted murder of a peace officer and additional attempted murder charges, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.