LA Deputies Mistook Tosh-O Assistant John Winkler and Shot Him Dead

 

Stabbing suspect Alexander McDonald has been charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, and one count of torture, to which he pleaded not guilty at an arraignment Thursday in Los Angeles. Bail was initially set at $2 million and raised to $4.1 million.

No charges have been announced against the three deputies involved in the shooting, who are all longtime officers with the Sheriff's Department. The deputies were removed from patrol after the shooting but were expected to return to full duty next week, according to officials.  

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, John Winkler, 30, a freelance production assistant for Comedy Central's “Tosh.0,” was mistaken for stabbing suspect Alexander McDonald, 27, and was fatally shot on Monday night in West Hollywood. The incident happened when deputies responded to an “assault with a deadly weapon, man with a knife” call at an apartment complex. The suspect had been described as a thin, white male wearing a black shirt.

“As deputies continued attempts to contact the people in the apartment, the apartment door suddenly opened and a male victim came rushing out. He was covered in blood and bleeding profusely from the neck,” the Sheriff's Department said in a press release.

 During a news conference Thursday evening, Interim Sheriff John Scott called the shooting a “tragic event.” He went on to say, “I have no doubt the entire Sheriff's Department mourns the death of John Winkler.”

“We don't know what caused his outburst,” Scott said about McDonald. “We don't know if he was under the influence or having some kind of psychotic episode.”

 According to the Sheriff's Department, Winkler and a second victim were “hanging out” when McDonald — a roommate of one of the victims — climbed over the balcony into his own apartment. McDonald allegedly held Winkler and two other men captive at knifepoint before becoming enraged and stabbing and fighting with the men.

Comedy Central had no comment when contacted by TheWrap.