FBI investigating whether 2 separate shooting deaths of California officers are related

The FBI is investigating whether the shooting deaths of two California officers are related, including the Saturday shooting of a Santa Cruz County deputy.

A sergeant with the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office was killed in a shooting in Ben Lomond Saturday, and two other officers were hurt during an ambush involving a suspect with explosive devices, Sheriff Jim Hart said.

In the other incident, a federal security officer was killed in a shooting May 29 in Oakland, and another officer was injured.

“The investigation into the incident in Ben Lomond, Calif. is ongoing,” the FBI San Francisco office told CNN in a statement. “We are working with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Department to determine a possible motive and/or links to other crimes committed in the Bay Area, to include the shooting of the FPS officers in Oakland.”

The suspect in the Santa Cruz shooting is an active duty sergeant at Travis Air Force Base, according to 2nd Lt. Mike Longoria, public affairs officer for the base.

The FBI is seeking information about a white van that may be linked to the crime in Oakland.

‘This is the worst day that I’ve experienced’

Around 1:30 pm on Saturday, Santa Cruz deputies responded to a call about a suspicious van parked off the road. The caller saw guns and bomb-making materials inside the van, according to the sheriff’s department.

When deputies arrived at the scene, the van was seen leaving the area. Deputies followed the vehicle until it arrived at a residence in Ben Lomond.

Deputies were then ambushed with gunfire and multiple improvised explosives, leaving one deputy dead and others injured, the sheriff’s department said in a press release.

38-year-old Sergeant Damon Gutzwiller was shot and taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Gutzwiller had been with the sheriff’s department since 2006, Hart said.

Another deputy was struck by a car as the suspect fled the property and either shot or struck by shrapnel, Hart added.

After the suspect fled, the county received calls about a carjacking. When officers got to that area, the suspect was shot while being arrested.

The suspect reportedly was armed. He survived and was treated and released from the hospital, according to the press release.

The suspect faces charges for the murder of Gutzwiller and other felonies, the department said.

“In my 32 year career, this is the worst day that I’ve ever experienced,” Hart said in announcing the loss of Gutzwiller.

“He was the kind of person we all hope to be. Today, we lost a hero. We are grateful to have known him and we mourn with his family.”