Gunman, 26, is shot dead in shootout that left multiple cops injured more than 24 hours after he 'ambushed' a California police department, shot a sheriff in the head and killed a homeless man (9 Pics)

A suspect wanted for a shooting spree in California that left one man dead and multiple law enforcement officers injured has been shot and killed after more than 24 hours on the run, police have confirmed.  

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office shot Mason James Lira, 26, dead during a shootout near Ramada Drive and Volpi Ysabel Road in downtown Paso Robles at around 4.30pm Thursday. Several officers were also injured in the exchange, officials said.

Lira had been identified as the suspect responsible for shooting sheriff’s deputy Nicholas Dreyfus, 28, in the face early hours of Wednesday morning.

Dreyfus had been responding to a call that someone had opened fire on a police department building at 3am, when the incident occured.

San Luis Obispo Sheriff Ian Parkinson had described the original attack on police as an 'unprovoked attack on law enforcement' by a suspect 'lying in ambush' at the police department. He said it was 'the act of a coward.'   

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Mason James Lira, 26 (left and right), was accused of shooting a sheriff's deputy and killing a homeless man during a Wednesday morning attack 

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Police released photos of the suspect in pre-dawn shooting at Paso Robles Police Department 

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The suspected gunman wearing a cross was captured on camera at two hotels in the city

Lira was later seen at two Paso Robles hotels - the Piccolo hotel and Street Side Ale House - leading to suggestions that he could have been staying there. 

Surveillance photos released by the authorities showed Lira in a gray sweater wearing a chain with a large cross pendant around his neck. 

According to officials, Lira opened fire at the police department at 3.45am on Wednesday. 

Paso Robles Police Chief Ty Lewis said a dispatcher monitoring the department's security cameras saw a suspicious person walking around the building and then start shooting.

Paso Robles police then called for help from other agencies as they responded to the shooter outside.  

'The suspect began firing at police cars as they entered the downtown area, where the police building is located,' said Sheriff Parkinson. 

'We feel that this was an ambush, that he planned it, that he intended for officers to come out of the police department and to assault them.' 

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Lira sheriff’s deputy Nicholas Dreyfus, 28, in the face early hours of Wednesday morning

The gunman shot a sheriff in the head and killed a homeless man before fleeing, police said

He said two San Luis Obispo sheriff's deputies who responded to the call were searching the area where the shooter was last seen when they came under fire, at 4:19am.

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Dreyfus, a two-year veteran of the department, was later airlifted to a hospital in another county and remains in a serious but stable condition.

One of the deputies, Dreyfus, was shot in the face. The wounded officer's partner was able to drag him to safety and return fire, Parkinson said.

Dreyfus, a two-year veteran of the department, was later airlifted to a hospital in another county and remains in a serious but stable condition.

The bullet remains lodged in his head and the police chief said 'he's not out of the woods.'  

Several hours later body of a homeless man was found near train station in Paso Robles at 7am, about three hours south of San Francisco.  

The 58-year-old victim, who was believed to have been camping in the area, had been shot in the back of the head.

A shelter-in-place order was issued for the city as the manhunt continued.

On Thursday, shortly after 3pm, Lira allegedly shot a police officer from the nearby city of Arroyo Grande who was assisting in the search effort.

The city said in a statement that the officer, who is also a member of a regional SWAT team, was struck during an exchange of gunfire after authorities spotted the suspect south of downtown Paso Robles.

At 4:30 p.m, the sheriff's office tweeted that the suspect was down and several officers were wounded. It was later confirmed that Lira had died at the scene.

Lira was found with multiple guns on his persons. Police believe the guns were stolen during a burglary in San Luis Obispo prior to Wednesday's shooting.

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Lira is said to be a transient from the Monterrey, California, area. He has a criminal record 

Authorities believe Lira was a transient from Monterey, California. 

Online records indicate that he has been in trouble with the law before, most recently in May 2020, when he was charged with threatening with intent to terrorize. 

His Facebook page, which has been dormant since 2018, includes images of guns, pictures of owls and a string of incoherent posts. 

One status update from September 2018 ominously stated: 'Your all like me, except im not a coward, you all think you can kill someone and come back and live. Ive never raped, Ive never murdered (sic).' 

Lira appears to have self-published at least four books on Amazon. One of them, titled 'I Am James Part 1,' has the following description: 'The following story of James is of a past incarnation regarding the death of his life. Being a supposedly true story having found his hidden grave in Pogonip Park, Santa Cruz California. The story gets better in the end.' 

Paso Robles is an unlikely spot for such violence. 

Paso Robles police department, where the gunman began his rampage early on Wednesday

The bustling community 175 miles northwest of Los Angeles is a tourist destination and centerpiece of the wine industry on California's Central Coast.

The violence came just five days after another unlikely location, the community of Ben Lomond in Santa Cruz County farther north on the California coast, was the scene of an ambush on police.

Santa Cruz sheriff's Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, 38, was killed and another deputy injured Saturday in an attack allegedly carried out by an Air Force sergeant armed with homemade bombs, an AR-15 rifle and other weapons. 

Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart said the suspect, Steven Carrillo, was intent on killing officers.

The FBI is investigating whether Carrillo, 32, has links to the killing of a federal security officer who was shot outside the U.S. courthouse in Oakland during a protest against police brutality on May 29.

The FBI also is assisting the San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles departments with their investigation into Wednesday's shooting rampage.

Authorities said Lira is considered armed and dangerous. If he is seen in public, individuals are advised not to make contact with Lara and should instead call 911 and report his location to law enforcement.