woman walks past a memorial of flowers in front of the Oakland police station in Oakland, California March 22, 2009. A man killed three police officers and critically wounded another on Saturday in two separate shootings that began with a traffic stop and ended with a gun battle, police said.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    SAN FRANCISCO, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A police officer involved in Saturday's gun shootings in U.S. west coast city Oakland who was previously declared dead Sunday is actually "brain dead," local media reported.

    John Hege, 41, is still on life support until the finial decision can be made on organ donation, The Oakland Tribune newspaper reported, citing police spokesman Jeff Thomason.

    Three other officers died Saturday immediately in two related gun shootings. The first incident occurred when a gunman shot two motorcycle officers, one of them was John Hege, during a traffic stop.

    A manhunt for the suspected gunman then ended in an exchange of gunfire, in which two other police officers were shot dead and the suspect was killed.

    A fifth officer was also shot in the gun battle, and was treated for minor injuries and released.

    The killed suspect was identified as Lovelle Mixon, a 26-year Oakland resident who was wanted on a "no bail" warrant for violating his parole for assault with a deadly weapon.

    According to local media, the killing of at least three police officers when they were in the line of duty on the same day, is the "most horrific day" for Oakland's police department in history.

An Oakland police officer pauses by his patrol car near the scene of a police involved shooting on MacArthur Boulevard where two police officers were shot, Saturday, March 21, 2009 in Oakland, Calif.(Xinhua/AP Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    It also ranked among the deadliest attacks on law enforcement in California history, local media said.

    California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced that state Capitol flags will be flown half-staff in honor of the officers.

    "All four officers dedicated their lives to public safety and selflessly worked to protect the people of Oakland," Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

    Schwarzenegger on Sunday arrived in Oakland, which is about 13 kilometers east of San Francisco, to meet with Oakland mayor Ron Dellums and police chief.

    The police department and the public were shocked and saddened by the tragic events.

    In interviews with Xinhua, some Chinese Americans living in the area said they felt very sorry for the officers who lost their lives.

    They also hoped that police force can draw lessons from the events and better protect themselves in the future.

    For instance, police officers could send dogs to hunt for the suspect who was hiding in an apartment and was known to possess weapons, said a Chinese American who declined to give her name.

    It was reported that the gunman hiding in a closet opened fire through the closet door when police officers entered the apartment and were approaching, killing two officers and wounding a third.

Shooting in Oakland kills three cops: Suspect killed

    BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhuanet)-- Three police officers were killed and a fourth one critically injured in two shootings that took place at a routine traffic stop and after a massive manhunt for a man wanted for violating his parole in east Oakland Saturday.

    The Gunman was also killed in the incident, Oakland police said.  Full story