Oakland police announced today that a fourth officer, gravely injured in a shootout this weekend with a parolee, had died. The father of Officer John Hege, however, said that his son was brain-dead and on life support. Family members, he said, were planning to discuss how best to proceed.

According to police, Officer Hege, 41, was pronounced dead at noon at Highland Hospital in Oakland. He was taken there after two shooting incidents with parolee Lovelle Mixon, who also killed Sgt. Mark Dunakin, 40; Sgt. Ervin Romans, 43; and Sgt. Daniel Sakai, 35. A fifth wounded officer was treated and released from the hospital on Saturday.

"He has enough brain injury to be considered dead," said John S. Hege, father of the officer.

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Mixon was killed by police.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger paid a brief visit to the Oakland Police Officers Assn. today but left without making any public statements. Schwarzenegger met for about 10 minutes with Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, California Attorney General Jerry Brown and Oakland police officers.

Afterward, Dellums said in a statement that "Oakland is reeling today from the senseless shootings of four Oakland police officers yesterday afternoon who were killed in the line of duty protecting our community's right to live in safety and in peace."

The shootings, among the deadliest in California history, have sparked a round of soul searching in Oakland, which has struggled to overcome high unemployment and a stubborn crime rate.

The violence began at 1:08 p.m. Saturday when two motorcycle officers pulled over a 1995 Buick on MacArthur Boulevard in eastern Oakland. At 1:16 p.m., a call came in to the department saying two officers were down and needed medical attention. The driver had stepped out of the car and fired at officers before fleeing into the neighborhood, authorities said.

Police launched a "very extensive manhunt," said department spokesman Jeff Thomason. Several streets were blocked off and a helicopter flew overhead. Police then received a tip that a possible suspect was barricaded inside a nearby apartment building.

At about 3:20 p.m., SWAT officers entered the multiunit building on 74th Avenue, down the street from the first shootings. Authorities said the suspect immediately fired at officers with an assault weapon, hitting three of them. SWAT officers "returned fire in defense of their lives," Oakland Police Department Acting Chief Howard A. Jordan said.

The gunman, Mixon, 27, was wanted on a no-bail warrant for violating his parole on a conviction of assault with deadly weapon.

Saturday's violence was among the worst incidents of its kind since 1970, when four California Highway Patrol officers were killed in a shootout in Newhall. The officers had tracked down two gun-waving suspects who had been threatening motorists.

Thomason said that the investigation is ongoing but that officers were "not searching for anybody else right now."

"It is in these moments that words are extraordinarily inadequate," Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums said. "We come together in shock and grief and sadness and sorrow."

Jordan said "everyone is pouring out their hearts," referring to the panel of civic leaders behind him at a news conference Saturday night, including Dellums and state Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown, a former Oakland mayor.

Jordan said handling the deaths will be a "traumatic and daunting task" but praised the resilience of his 800-officer department.

Oakland has long been known as a violence-plagued city where crime rates have soared in recent years, rising at least 40% since 2004.

The shootings Saturday occurred near the Eastmont police substation, where pawnshops, check-cashing stands and storefront churches line the street.

By evening, the area was still cordoned off with yellow police tape. Residents had to show identification before police would allow them to return to their homes.

Jermaine Jackson, 23, who lives nearby, said he was at home when the shootings occurred." "I came outside and I heard probably 10 gunshots," Jackson said.

Unfortunately, he said, gun violence is not uncommon in his neighborhood. "I don't feel safe at all," he said. "You don't know who will shoot you."

Yolanda Johnson, 58, was working at a pawnshop on MacArthur when she heard the shots. "I've been working here for 18 years," she said. "This area is pretty bad and it's not getting better. It's so sad that happened to those officers."

K. Lowe, 40, who was walking his pit bull two blocks from the crime scene, said he was not surprised by the brazen shooting. "It's a hot spot," he said. "This is just another day in the 'hood. It's sad, but what can you do? It's a doggone shame."

Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff in honor of the officers.

Oakland City Councilwoman Desley Brooks, whose district includes the area, said her heart was with the officers' relatives. "Our prayers go out to all of the families of all the officers," she said. "They do such a tremendous service. And I can't even find words beyond what I have just said."

Oakland City Atty. John Russo called the deaths "senseless," adding: "We didn't lose four officers in the earthquakes or the worst of the fires. You want to find meaning in it. It underscores what a difficult job it is to be a police officer."

The officers' deaths also saddened law enforcement officers throughout the state.

Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton said the gunfire "underscores the dangers that law enforcement officers face each and every day as they protect and serve their communities."

Paul M. Weber, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, added in a statement: "We join our fellow police officers in praying for the families and friends whose hearts ache for their lost loved ones."

The last death of an on-duty Oakland police officer was in 2004 when William Seuis, 39, was killed in a hit-and-run crash on motorcycle patrol. Another officer, William Wilkins, 29, was mistakenly shot by two rookie officers in 2001 while he was undercover.

Police agencies in Oakland have been wracked by controversy in recent months.

A few weeks ago, Oakland Police Chief Wayne Tucker left the department in the wake of criticism. Tucker announced his resignation in late January as the City Council -- frustrated by rising crime and negative publicity -- planned to call for a vote of no confidence.

Tucker, who served as chief for more than four years, was blasted for his management of the department and possible missteps in the investigation of the murder of journalist Chauncey Bailey.

Earlier this year, racially tinged riots erupted in Oakland as a result of a shooting by another police agency. An on-duty transit police officer was seen on video shooting an unarmed man in the back at the Fruitvale BART station.

The officer, Johannes Mehserle, who is white, was charged with murder in the death of Oscar J. Grant III, who was black.