Man found dead after shooting 2 LAPD officers is identified

The man found dead in a Willowbrook home after allegedly shooting two Los Angeles police officers was identified Thursday by L.A. County coroner’s officials.

The body of Howard Partee, 33, of Willowbrook was found Wednesday after SWAT officers entered the home in the 2200 block of East 117^th Street.

The details of his death remain under investigation, according to the coroner’s office.

The suspected gunman was in the attic above the kitchen while police ordered people to leave the home about 7 p.m. Tuesday, LAPD Sgt. Albert Gonzalez said. It was unclear how many people were told to leave or who they were.

When an LAPD gang officer peered into the attic, he was shot. The officer was wounded in the cheek and neck and underwent surgery overnight, officials said.

The officer was in stable condition in an intensive-care unit, Gonzalez said. A county probation officer also was wounded.

The officers were part of a unit conducting a parole-probation search of the home in an area patrolled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Police were leaving the property after searching for a woman there when they smelled marijuana and decided to investigate, KTLA-TV reported.

Officers spoke with people inside the home and learned some were violating parole by being around the drug, according to KTLA.

The shooting began soon after, with at least five officers exchanging gunfire with the suspect as rounds ripped through the ceiling and floor, police said.

“He has shown no regard for human life by shooting at our officers,” LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith said of the gunman.

About 7 a.m. Wednesday, police fired tear gas into the home when they failed to successfully communicate with the shooter. Police let the gas clear Wednesday morning before deciding to go in after the suspect.

“They’ve tried to make contact with him telephonically,” Gonzalez told KTLA early Wednesday. “They have equipment such as a bear cat, smoke that can be utilized to try to encourage the suspect to give up.”

The gun battle followed an ambush early Tuesday during which an attacker shot at two LAPD undercover detectives outside the Wilshire station in Mid-City.

That shooting sparked a daylong manhunt in which officers searched unsuccessfully for the attacker.

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emily.foxhall@latimes.com