2 Held in Shooting of Off-Duty Deputy

Two men were in custody Friday as the suspected gunmen who shot an unarmed, off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy execution-style during a robbery of a hair salon in Buena Park.

The deputy, 26-year-old Shayne York of Valencia, remained in critical condition late Friday with major brain damage. His family was grappling with the decision whether to disconnect a breathing apparatus that was keeping him alive, authorities said.

York was shot in the back of the head late Thursday after two robbers who demanded that salon patrons hand over their wallets and other valuables found his law enforcement identification, investigators said. York’s fiancee, Jennifer Parish, 24, also a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy, watched in horror, police said.

On Friday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Sherman Block huddled with York’s grieving family at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, and later told reporters he was devastated that a deputy was shot solely because he carried a badge.

“I’ve been on this department more than 40 years, and I can’t recall a more cold-blooded crime,” Block said. “This was a pure execution.”

Police and prosecutors were withholding the names of the two suspects, who were arrested after a Fullerton police officer spotted them driving toward the Los Angeles County line about two hours after the Thursday night shooting at the DeCut’s Hair Salon near Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park.

The deputies were at the small salon visiting Parish’s sister--the only employee there at the time--when two armed men barged in about 9 p.m. and ordered everyone to the floor, according to Buena Park Police Sgt. Ken Coovert.

“It was complete takeover robbery,” Coovert said. “What happened next was just coldblooded and completely senseless.”

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The robbers stole $11, Parish’s engagement ring and other personal effects before realizing that at least one of their victims was a deputy, Block said. Throughout the tense showdown, York had been cooperative, even polite, Block said.

But that didn’t stop what happened next, police said.

“After they saw his badge or ID, they shot him,” Coovert said. “They shot an unarmed man from behind, a man who posed no threat at all. They did it just because he was a police officer.”

It was not clear if the suspects knew Parish was also a law enforcement officer, Coovert said.

Police say the same two suspects who shot York then drove to Yorba Linda, where they robbed a Lamppost Pizza. The robbers sped off in a white Ford Mustang convertible, witnesses said.

The suspects were arrested on the Riverside Freeway near the Knott Avenue exit, Coovert said. Described only as a 30-year-old and a 26-year-old, they were booked on suspicion of robbery and attempted murder.

Sobbing family members and somber-faced deputies rushed to Western Medical Center throughout Thursday night and Friday. At midday Friday, Block said the family was told by doctors that York would probably live only another 72 hours, or less if he was unhooked from machines that are helping him breathe.

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Block said the shooting has badly rattled the department’s 9,000 officers. York and Parish were both relatively new to the force and worked together at the Sheriff’s Pitchess Detention Center-East Facility in Castaic.

One department official said the couple met on the job and had plans to marry next summer.

The couple shared a strong bond: Both their fathers were Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies. York’s father retired after 19 years on the force; Parish’s father works at the Lakewood station.

At the detention facility in Castaic, word of the shooting spread quickly, said Capt. Taylor Moorehead, one of York’s supervisors.

“Right now, his colleagues are devastated,” Moorehead said. “They’re praying for his recovery.”

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The tall, lanky York, known for keeping his cool in a pressure-filled job, was often called “Sergeant York” by his peers, a reference to the character played by Gary Cooper in the 1941 film.

“I had lunch with Shayne on Thursday,” said Sgt. Steve Wilson, 37, his voice breaking. “We just happened to be talking about retirement and planning for the future.”

Another off-duty Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy was wounded earlier in the week when he was stabbed in the head by would-be robbers outside a Lakewood bar. Louis Lotgering, 34, was in serious but stable condition Friday at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.

Also contributing to this report were Times staff writer Julie Tamaki and correspondents Mimi Ko and Kevin O’Leary.