MAN'S DEATH JUSTIFIED, D.A.'S OFFICE CONCLUDES.

Byline: Andrea Cavanaugh Staff Writer

Police were justified in fatally shooting a 49-year-old Thousand Oaks man who opened fire on a Ventura County sheriff's station, the District Attorney's Office announced Monday.

Gregg Wynn Hackett died Aug. 5 after a five-minute gunbattle with police outside the sheriff's East County Headquarters in Thousand Oaks.

Windows shattered and bystanders dove for cover as Hackett ``waged war'' on the building, according to one witness.

``Gregg Hackett initiated an unprovoked, potentially deadly attack on the East County Sheriff's Station and innocent civilians in the area,'' Senior Deputy District Attorney James Ellison wrote in a 24-page report on the shooting.

``Only through extreme good fortune were no innocent persons killed or seriously injured,'' Ellison wrote.

Ellison's inquiry did not attempt to explain why Hackett, armed with three guns and more than 900 rounds of ammunition, opened fire on the station.

``There's no way to really determine what his motive was,'' Ellison said. Sheriff's investigators don't know the reason for Hackett's assault, spokesman Eric Nishimoto said.

Ellison's report was based in part on the statements of nine police officers and six civilians present at the time of the shooting. Two of the deputies declined to be interviewed until two weeks after the shooting, Ellison wrote.

Police from Ventura, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties were attending a traffic accident investigation class inside the station when the first volley of gunfire hit. Many of the officers ran outside and began firing at Hackett, witnesses said.

Hackett died from two gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen, according to an autopsy. He had antihistamines, muscle relaxants and marijuana in his system when he died, the coroner said.

Andrea Cavanaugh, [phone]

andrea.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com