EL CAJON, Calif. -- A police officer shot in the head Sunday by a gunman who killed his own baby and mother-in-law has been moved out of critical care and is showing remarkable improvement, authorities said Tuesday.
El Cajon police Officer Jarred Slocum was wounded Sunday while responding to a deadly rampage on Prince Street. He and his partner were the first officers to arrive in the 1000 block of Prince Street, where the gunman had set a house on fire.
The gunman shot Slocum as he approached the house. The wounded officer's partner pulled him out of the line of fire with the help of a resident. When more officers arrived, Slocum, a 28-year-old married father of two young children, was moved out of the area and taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital, where he underwent surgery. He was in critical condition for two days.
Because of his improved condition, hospital officials hope to move Slocum to a private room Tuesday, according to El Cajon Police Department spokeswoman Monica Zech. He is sitting up and talking, and he remembers the entire shooting incident with no memory loss, Zech said.
Slocum's family is with him and other police officers have visited him, but other visitors are still not allowed, Zech said.
Monday, investigators found two bodies in the ruins of the burned house from which the shots were fired. The bodies have not been formally identified yet, but police believe one is the gunman, 32-year-old Kevin James Collier. The other is believed to be Collier's mother-in-law, 51-year-old Beverly Rakov. The body of Collier's 14-month-old daughter, Rhilee, was found Sunday in his truck parked near the home.
Investigators believe Collier took his daughter Rakov's house and shot her. He then returned to the house, killed Rakov and set the home ablaze, investigators said.
According to court records, Collier's wife, Alyssa, filed paperwork last Wednesday to end their year-and-a-half-long marriage and asked for custody of Rhilee.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
