LAPD officer pleads not guilty for off-duty shooting of fellow officer in Apple Valley area

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A Los Angeles police officer who allegedly shot a fellow officer in the shoulder during an off-duty camping trip near Apple Valley earlier this week pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a felony count of assault with a

firearm.

Ismael Tamayo, 44, was initially arrested for attempted murder in connection to the late-night shooting on Sunday. Tamayo was due in a San Bernardino courtroom Wednesday afternoon for arraignment on one felony count of assault with a firearm, according to the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office.

He posted bail after it was set at $250,000.

The charge includes allegations that Tamayo personally used a Glock .40-caliber handgun and that he inflicted great bodily injury on Mark Mascareno.

RELATED: Off-duty LAPD officer arrested for allegedly shooting friend during camping trip

The shooting at Stoddard Wells Off-Highway Vehicle Area, an unincorporated section of Apple Valley, was reported to LAPD just after 1 a.m., according to authorities.

San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies responded to the scene and paramedics airlifted the 48-year-old wounded officer to a nearby hospital.

A third LAPD officer, identified by the department as an off-duty supervisor, was also present at the campsite in an unincorporated area of San Bernardino County, according to LAPD.

Tamayo works in the department's Newton Division and lives in Ontario, according to the LAPD and San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

LAPD Force Investigation Division investigators went to the scene and began an internal investigation.

Tamayo was relieved of duty pending the outcome of the criminal and administrative investigations, LAPD said.

"The events overnight culminating in the serious injury to one of our off-duty officers, apparently at the hands of another member of the department, give me great concern,'' LAPD Chief Michel Moore said Sunday. "I spoke earlier this morning with San Bernardino Sheriff John McMahon, pledging our full support of their criminal investigation. I am thankful our injured officer is in stable condition and is expected to survive. I am committed to determining what and how this happened.''

On Tuesday, Moore released a statement via Twitter that appeared to refer to the Tamayo shooting, and to an April 27 incident in which an LAPD officer is under investigation for allegedly assaulting a trespassing suspect during an altercation in Boyle Heights.

"Over the past several days there have been incidents reported in the news that are clearly not consistent with the core values of the Los Angeles Police Department. My pledge to you, is that when these instances occur and we fall short of your expectations there will be a thorough investigation. I intend to take a clear-eyed view and hold individuals accountable for behavior that is inconsistent with the high standards of this organization.''

City News Service contributed to this report.