In Sacramento to endorse a package of gun-control legislation, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Thursday called the former LAPD officer who allegedly shot multiple people a "sick individual" and said the case illustrates the need for tougher rules on firearms.

"This isn’t about ephemeral, esoteric public policy,'' Villaraigosa told reporters at the Capitol. "These issues go to the heart of a civil society when you have the number of people who die every single day across the nation as a result of gun violence.''

Villaraigosa had scheduled his appearance before he received a call Thursday morning from Police Chief Charlie Beck about a former cop who is suspected of killing three people and is on the loose. But he cited the serial shootings as an example of the kind of violence facing the country.

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