CHP OFFICER SHOT : PAROLED FELON KILLED IN SHOOTOUT WITH LAPD.

Byline: Laurence Darmiento and Jaxon Van Derbeken Daily News Staff Writers

A California Highway Patrol officer was critically wounded in Granada Hills early Wednesday in a confrontation with a recently paroled felon who was later killed in a shootout with Los Angeles police.

CHP Officer Rafael Casillas, 31, of Saugus was listed in critical condition after undergoing six hours of surgery at Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, officials said.

His family and his girlfriend held a vigil at the hospital throughout the day.

Casillas was shot three times by Terry Parker - a 25-year-old Granada Hills man with a history of violence and at least 13 arrests - after a pursuit that ended at 1:41 a.m. outside Parker's home at 15609 Harvest St., authorities said.

Los Angeles police used dogs and a helicopter to search for Parker, who fired on three Los Angeles Police Department officers as they approached him about 5 a.m. at Blucher Avenue and Rinaldi Street, officials said.

Casillas is the second CHP officer to be shot in the line of duty in two weeks. The case is also the latest in a tragic series of shootings recently in which law officers have been slain or injured.

Recalling the July 13 shooting death of CHP Officer Don Burt in Fullerton, CHP Deputy Chief Ed Gomez prayed for Casillas' recovery.

``This department cannot stand to lose another good person,'' Gomez told reporters.``We're concerned about the amount of violence. At this point, law enforcement is a very dangerous occupation.''

At the time of the chase, Casillas, an eight-year veteran, and his partner, Officer James Portilla, probably were not aware of Parker's criminal history - which included felony convictions and a 1994 confrontation at the Rinaldi Street off-ramp in which he was shot and wounded by LAPD officers.

Gomez said the two officers attempted to stop Parker at 1:30 a.m. after they spotted him speeding in a 1993 Chevy pickup southbound on the San Diego Freeway.

With the officers in pursuit, Parker pulled off the freeway at Rinaldi. After running several red lights, he stopped in front of the house he had shared with his father and then ran inside.

Investigators and eyewitnesses said Casillas and Portilla got out of their patrol car and approached the residence. Casillas went to the front door, while his partner took cover to the right of him.

``He said, `CHP

Come out of the house, get out of the house, come out of the house,' '' said John Singleton, 33, who watched the shooting from across the street. ``That's when he (Casillas) started kicking in the door, but the door didn't give way. That's when the shots went off.''

Singleton said he heard about eight shots, while another neighbor heard about 12.

In an interview, Parker's father, James Lee Parker, said his son came home Wednesday morning and there was banging at the door and then he heard shots and saw muzzle flashes.

``As best I can see, my son did fire first, he initiated it, and he did fire at the CHP,'' James Parker said.

Gomez said Parker, who abruptly emerged through the front door, fired several rounds at Casillas. Despite being hit, Casillas returned fire. Portilla also fired as Parker retreated back inside the home.

Realizing that his partner was gravely wounded, Portilla began dragging Casillas back to the pair's patrol car, said Capt. Greg Augusta, who commands the 48-officer Newhall station.

``He did not know exactly where the suspect was. He knew the suspect was armed. He knew the suspect had just shot his partner, yet he took himself out of a position of cover to an open position,'' Augusta said in lauding the officer's action.

Summoned to the scene by Portilla and neighbors who telephoned 911, police and other CHP officers surrounded Parker's home, but the focus changed when a dog from an LAPD canine unit picked up the suspect's scent leading away from the home.

Nearly four hours after the shooting - and sometime after Parker purchased cigarettes at a nearby gas station - police dogs tracked the gunman to a nearby construction site.

As officers approached, Parker emerged from a bush with his gun drawn and fired, prompting officers to shoot and kill Parker, said LAPD Deputy Chief Martin Pomeroy.

Although an investigation into the second shooting is far from complete, police said an initial review indicated that it appeared well within department guidelines.

Parker had a long criminal history that included 13 prior arrests, among them three involving attacks on police, Pomeroy said.

In one incident in April 1994, Parker was shot and wounded by LAPD officers. Pomeroy said he remembered Parker from the incident and was unaware that he had been released from state prison.

``This is one type of individual who should not be among us,'' he said. ``Doggone it. Every once in a while you look at someone and you know in your heart that bad stuff is going to happen because of that individual. And I personally had that feeling with this suspect.''

One of Parker's neighbors, Jose Freire, recalled scolding Parker years ago for hitting his son with a rock, and he remembered him as a menace in the neighborhood.

``It's sad for any human being to die, but it was coming that Terry would die like that, because he was looking for it,'' Freire said. ``It's sad that a policeman was hurt like that.''

The shooting weighed heavily on law enforcement officers, some of them wearing black bands across their badges in honor of colleagues recently slain in police shootings.

Casillas, a Santa Monica native who grew up in North Hills, was the second CHP officer shot in two weeks. On July 13, Burt, 25, of Placentia, was shot and killed after making a traffic stop in Fullerton.

Just four days later, Ventura County sheriff's Deputy John Aguirre, 26, was shot fatally while investigating a domestic dispute in the Ojai Valley town of Meiners Oaks. The suspect was shot and wounded.

Gomez, of the CHP, said more than bad luck and the increasing desperation of some career criminals have led to the recent string of law enforcement shootings.

``I don't think it's bad luck. I think there are too many people who are armed.''

LAPD Cmdr. Tim McBride agreed.

``More and more guns and more and more rampant violence with no sense and reason,'' McBride said.

Casillas, known by his collegues as ``Ralph,'' started his career at the West Valley station, working there eight years until he transferred in 1994 to the Newhall Station, which serves portions of the northwest San Fernando Valley and the Santa Clarita Valley.

``Everyone here was stunned and shocked to find out Ralph had been shot,'' said CHP Officer Wendy Moore. ``He is truly a nice guy who everyone likes.''

While the LAPD was handling the primary criminal investigation of the case, as well as an administrative review of Parker's fatal shooting, the CHP also initiated an administrative review of Casillas' shooting.

MEMO: Daily News Staff Writers Steve Getzug, Jeannette DeSantis and Mary Schubert contributed to this report.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

PHOTO (1) LAPD investigators inspect the construction si te where shooting suspect Terry Parker was shot and killed.

(2) LAPD officers evacuate neighborhood residents in pursuit of Parker.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News

(3 -- color) Rafael Casillas

Vigil held at hospital