Crime
Baldwin Park Police Officer Killed in the Line of Duty Identified as Samuel Riveros
Authorities have identified the Baldwin Park police officer who was tragically killed in the line of duty on Saturday night as Officer Samuel Riveros, a 9-year veteran of the department.
The deadly incident occurred during a shootout with a suspect in a residential neighborhood in Baldwin Park.
At approximately 7:21 p.m., officers responded to reports of a man firing a rifle in the 4200 block of Filhurst Avenue.
Upon arrival, officers immediately came under fire.
โWhen officers arrived, they were met by gunfire,โ Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna stated during a press conference late Saturday night.
Officer Riveros and a second officer were both struck by gunfire. The Los Angeles County Fire Department confirmed that one officer was transported by ambulance, while the other was airlifted to USC Medical Center.
Despite life-saving efforts, Officer Riveros succumbed to his injuries. The second officer remains hospitalized in stable condition, surrounded by family.
Law enforcement returned fire during the exchange, striking the suspect. The individual was taken into custody and transported to a local hospital, where he remains in stable condition.
In a tragic development, a second victim was also discovered at the scene, suffering from fatal gunshot wounds.
Authorities believe the deceased individual may have been killed by the same suspect prior to the officersโ arrival.
The identity of the suspect has not yet been released, and investigators have not confirmed initial reports suggesting a second suspect may have been involved.
Surveillance footage from the area shows neighbors and partygoers fleeing in panic as gunfire erupted. One resident described the chaos as โunreal,โ noting his car windshield was shattered in the crossfire.
Large crowds gathered near the scene following the incident, and local streets were cordoned off as law enforcement continued their investigation.
Officers and deputies remained in the neighborhood through the night.
Baldwin Park Police Chief Robert Lopez described Officer Riveros as โan amazing man,โ adding that his death was โextremely tragicโ for the department and the community.
โI ask the community to remember the officers and deputies who go out there every day, making it safe for all of our families and residents,โ Chief Lopez said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriffโs Department is leading the ongoing investigation.
Further updates will be provided as additional information becomes available.
Crime
Mustapha Kharbouch Now-Deleted 2024 Manifesto Published in Institute for Palestine Studies Recovered
Brown University has removed multiple online references to student activist Mustapha Kharbouch in the days following a deadly campus shooting, a move that has drawn public attention amid heightened online speculationโdespite law enforcement officials confirming that no suspects or persons of interest have been identified in the investigation.
Archived versions of Brown University webpages show that Kharbouch, a first-year student at the time, was previously listed in several university-affiliated roles, including as a student assistant and Cultural Programming Coordinator connected to the Global Brown Center.
His academic interests were described as focusing on International and Public Affairs and Anthropology, with involvement in Middle Eastโfocused academic, cultural, and student programming.
Those pages are no longer accessible, and Kharbouchโs social media accounts have also been deactivated.
A verified buyer from the United States with the name “Mustapha K.” reviewed a 9MM muzzle brake through the Wing Tactical website on December 29th, 2024 โ the same caliber used in the Brown shooting.
There are approximately a few hundred people in the entire United States with that first name + last initial combination.
University officials have not issued a public explanation for the removal of the online profiles.
The changes occurred as online speculation intensified in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, with social media users circulating screenshots of archived university pages and past writings associated with Kharbouch.
Among the materials resurfaced by online users was a 2024 essay authored by Kharbouch and published by the Institute for Palestine Studies as part of a special student essay series titled Genocide in Gaza: Student Essays โ Brown University Encampment 2024.
The essay, titled โI Hear the Voice of My Ancestors Calling: From the Camps to the Campus,โ was published on August 13, 2024, months before the shooting. The piece is a first-person reflective essay examining Palestinian identity, intergenerational memory, student activism, and questions of hope amid displacement, war, and protest.
The article includes poetic excerpts adapted from โAncestors Song,โ a chant popularized during student-led Palestine solidarity actions at Brown University, and documents Kharbouchโs participation in campus organizing efforts, including sit-ins, hunger strikes, rallies, and the Brown Gaza Solidarity Encampment.
The essay situates these experiences within a broader discussion of decolonial thought, feminist theory, and Palestinian history, including reflections on the 1948 Nakba and the authorโs family history as a third-generation stateless Palestinian refugee raised in Lebanon.
The content of the essay is ideological, autobiographical, and academic in nature.
There is no reference to violence on campus, nor any indication of intent or planning related to criminal activity.
The Institute for Palestine Studies has not issued any statement suggesting the piece is under review or connected to the shooting.
Despite widespread online conjecture, law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Providence Police, have not named Mustapha Kharbouch as a suspect or person of interest, and have publicly stated that there is no evidence linking him to the shooting.
Investigators have emphasized that the case remains active and that conclusions are being guided strictly by verified evidence.
Authorities have cautioned against drawing inferences from online speculation, warning that unsubstantiated claims can compromise investigations and cause undue harm to individuals not implicated by facts.
Media analysts and campus observers have suggested that Brown Universityโs decision to remove online references may have been taken as a protective or precautionary measure, particularly as misinformation and harassment proliferated across social media platforms following the attack.
Similar actions have been taken by institutions in other high-profile incidents to limit doxxing, targeted harassment, or the misinterpretation of publicly available biographical information during periods of heightened tension.
Brown University has not confirmed whether the removals were temporary, administrative, or safety-related in nature.
Authorities continue to urge the public to rely on confirmed information released by law enforcement and to avoid amplifying unverified narratives.
As of the most recent update, no arrests have been announced, no individuals have been publicly identified as suspects, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with credible information related to the shooting has been asked to contact investigators directly.