A shocking new bodycam video shows a meth-high suspect shooting a police officer in the chest – before his heroic colleague fatally shoots a gunman in the head in “justified” retaliation
- New bodycam footage shows the moment Matthew-Tuan Ahn Tran, 22, fired on La Habra Police Officer Mark Milward outside police headquarters in August 2021
- Milward and his partner Abigail Fox were responding to a call from a woman allegedly being followed by Tran
- After speaking to Tran, Milward turns his back on him and the suspect immediately pulls out a gun and shoots the officer, hitting him twice
- Milward falls to the ground after a bullet pierces his armor, and Fox quickly shoots the shooter and rushes to her partner’s side
- Orange County prosecutors found “no evidence of criminal guilt” against Fox and said the shooting of the shooter was justified
California prosecutors have released shocking bodycam footage of the moment a police officer was shot dead twice before his heroic partner shot the gunman in the head, killing him.
The video begins with La Habra Police Officer Mark Milward and her partner Abigail Fox arriving at their LA headquarters to assist a woman allegedly killed by 22-year-old Matthew-Tuan Ahn Tran on August 6, 2021 was tracked.
After speaking to the Tran, Milward walks to his car but turns around when he hears his partner yelling at the suspect, only to find Tran pointing a gun at him.
Tran fires twice, one of the bullets piercing Milward’s body armor as he falls back in pain, dropping his own pistol before struggling to open his phone.
Fox immediately fired five shots at the gunman, hitting him in the head, and she then rushed to Milward.
Newly released bodycam footage shows the moment Matthew-Tuan Ahn Tran (above), 22, fired on La Habra Police Officer Mark Milward outside police headquarters in August 2021
Milward and his partner were responding to a call from a woman allegedly being followed by Tran. After speaking to Tran (left), Milward turns his back on him and the suspect immediately pulls out a gun (right) and shoots the officer
Investigators eventually determined that Fox was authorized to use deadly force against Tran, who, according to an autopsy report, had THC and methamphetamine in his system during the encounter.
Orange County prosecutors had opened an investigation into the incident, which is required in any officer-related shooting, and found “no evidence of criminal guilt” against Fox.
The incident began around 6:25 p.m. when a woman called 911 about a 1998 Toyota Camry that hit her and followed her wherever she turned on Freeway 57, the LA Times reports.
Dispatchers advised the woman to go to La Habra Police Headquarters for safety when Fox and Milward were dispatched to the scene at 7:10 p.m.
“What’s going on here,” Milward could be heard asking Tran after arriving and approaching the crime scene.
“I’m meeting someone right now,” replies Tran, who is standing in front of the station.
Milward asks the 22-year-old if he has anything to do with the two cars parked in front of the train station that belong to the woman and her alleged stalker.
Tran says he’s not, and when Milward tells him he’ll be with him in a second, surveillance footage shows the suspect immediately pulled out a pistol and fired at the officer.
Milward falls to the ground after a bullet pierces his armor (above)
His partner Abigail Fox (pictured) shoots the gunman dead and rushes over to check on the officer who is lying on the ground
Pictured: Fox and Milward (center) receive awards for their service to the local community. An investigation by the prosecutor’s office concluded that the shooting was justified
Pictured: Tran rings the doorbell outside police headquarters after officers advised the stalking victim to enter the building for security reasons
Milward, who joined the force in 2019, was taken to hospital after the fatal shooting but was released the following week to cheers and applause for his speedy recovery.
Milward and Fox were touted as local heroes, with the latter being praised for her quick action in defeating the gunman who had knocked out her partner.
The autopsy report, released last August, found that of the five shots Fox fired, three hit Tran in the head, body and right thigh.
After the call, she was seen rushing to her partner’s side and attempting to comfort him as she reported the incident.