The shooting of a deputy Thursday at a gas station was part of a violent Inland Empire crime spree, including the fatal shooting of a driver who was followed by the gunman on an Inland Empire freeway and gunned down as he got out of his car.
Kenneth Scott Welch, 37, of Redlands, was arrested late Thursday morning after he allegedly shot a San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputy in the chest during a gas station robbery. The deputy, struck by a round in his protective vest, was released from a hospital later Thursday.
At a midday Friday news conference, Sheriff John McMahon showed a picture of the vest worn by San Bernardino County sheriff's Deputy Patrick Higgins.
"His soft body armor saved his life," McMahon said, noting the location of the bullet mark left on the left side of Higgins' vest.
McMahon also confirmed Thursday that Welch is connected to other shootings in the Inland Empire, including a double shooting on the 210 Freeway in Rialto this week and a fatal shooting Wednesday in Highland. Welch allegedly followed a driver in the Highland area and, still seated in his car, opened fire on the man after he parked and got out of his vehicle.
There was no indication the victim, Mario Figueroa, did anything to provoke the gunman, investigators said.
"There's nothing that tells us why he went after these victims the way he did," said McMahon, adding that similarities between the shootings in Highland, in Rialto on the 210 Freeway and the Higgins shooting led them to Welch.
Figueroa had just dropped off his cousin at work when he encountered the gunman on the freeway.
"He was an innocent man," Figueroa's niece said at the news conference as she wiped away tears. "He only wanted to do more with his life for his loved ones and himself. He was a happy man always willing to lend a hand when someone needed him."
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Details regarding the evidence that connected the investigations were not immediately available.
The altercation that eventually led to his arrest occurred around 12:30 a.m. Thursday, when Deputy Higgins, 25, confronted a driver near a Chevron station after the clerk there reported being beaten and robbed, sheriff's officials said. The car matched the description of the robber's, and the deputy repeatedly ordered the driver to show his hands and get out of the car but he refused, according to authorities.
Higgins then pepper-sprayed the driver and the man opened fire. One bullet hit the deputy in the chest but it was stopped by his body armor. He managed to return to his patrol SUV and fire back, authorities said.
Several shots shattered the SUV's windshield.
The deputy chased the Chrysler 200 for about two miles before he stopped because of pain from the round to his chest, authorities said.
"He stayed in the fight even though he was struck by a bullet," said McMahon.
The deputy was treated at a hospital and released.
Investigators released photos of the suspect and car Thursday morning. Welch was later arrested at his home on suspicion of robbery and the attempted murder of a peace officer.
It was unclear whether he had an attorney.
"He's a good guy, he wasn't in a lot of trouble," said a Welch family member who wanted to be identified only as Allison. "I don't think he would do something like this. He was a good person all around."
