Fallen Hero

This is a story of the worse night I ever had being a cop. This is a true story of the loss of a friend, co-worker, and a Deputy that I worked with. If your sensitive to sad stories that are true, you might want to skip this posting and reserved your emotions, but if your a supporter of law enforcement and would like to read about what happened and the feeling that I felt on the night I will never forget, then please read on. 


On June 5, 2008, I was working a 12 hour graveyard shift for the Sheriff's Department that I work for. The day started out like any other day. I went to briefing with all my fellow Deputies, got assigned to a specific beat with a partner, checked out my car, and went to work. My partner that was assigned to my beat with me, was a person that I had known for many years. He use to work as a IT technician for the County I worked for prior to becoming a Deputy. We would share stories together all the time, and because I was as much a computer nerd as him, he would teach me knew things every chance he got. We would even play practical jokes together using the computer on our fellow co-workers. Now he wasn't the best cop in the world, but he would keep you entertained, and was always there when you needed him.  English was is second language, and he had this destinctive Spanish accent that would make me laugh ever time I heard him on the radio running a plate.  Every time he would say 1, it always would sound like he was saying Juan. 

It was around 6 pm when I started my shift. I drove to a small hole in the wall Mexican restaurant that I frequented to get dinner. After dinner, I drove to a gas station to pick up a pack of cigarettes, since I smoke. My partner had driven to the northern part of the county in which we were patrolling, where there is a small truck stop type of town. We had received a (B.O.L.) be on the lookout bulletin of a drunk driver with a child heading toward the town he was in. I was ready to head up to his location when a Sergeant had directed me to go back to the office to check on some equipment that he misplaced.

After checking on the equipment, I headed to the eastern most town in my beat, since I was close by. I figured I do a quick sweep in the area and head back to the town my partner was in. My partner was doing his normal thing. I could hear him on the radio stopping cars, running plates, basically the normal things a cop does in my county. So I got to the eastern town, drove around for a bit, and start contacting some people at a boat ramp that was with in the town to see what they were up too.

It was now around 9 pm, and my partner puts out over the radio that he has located the DUI (Driving Under the Influence) driver at a truck stop and was going to make contact. I start heading to his location to cover him. With in seconds, he is notifying our dispatch that he is now in pursuit of the vehicle. I activate my overhead red and blue lights, turn on my sirens, and started driving real fast to his location. From where I was to where he was located, would normally take me approximately 10 min to get to him driving at Code 3. A minute passed by and my partner is now advising that the suspect vehicle is making a U-turn and was heading in his direction. I kick up my speed, change my direction of travel to match my partners. Now my partner is advising that he is going down a secluded road and is at a dead in near a house, the suspect has bailed out of vehicle and is running. My partner advises on the radio that he is terminating the pursuit and will be checking on the child inside the vehicle.

I feel a sign of relief, the pursuit is over and my partner made a good call to end it. Silence hit the radio, but I didn't slow down. Two other Deputies were responding as well and were much closer than I. Several minutes had passed by, with no updates. I started to feel a sense that something was terribly wrong. I felt I should ask his status on the radio, but for some reason for the first time felt fear and was afraid to ask. My Partner then got on the radio again, and in a low whisper on the radio all you can hear, "Officer Down!!"  There was no shouting, no panic in his voice, no sense of adrenaline that a cop usually has in a serious situation.  Just a very painful low tone that I never heard before, "Officer Down!!"

My heart dropped, fear began to build up, I was only 4-5 minutes away now. I started preparing in my head that I was going to get into a gun battle and that I needed to save my partner. In another 3 min, the other two Deputies arrive to the location where my partner was. I wasn't far away. They had advised that he was hurt, but OK. I raced as fast as I could to the location, and when I got there, I saw my partner laying on the ground. The two Deputies had extracted him from his original position to the area he was at to get him out of harms way.

I got out of my car, grabbed my AR-15 carbine rifle, locked and loaded it, went to my partner and saw that he was in a lot of pain. He was in tears, grabbing at his chest, and requesting that someone call his fiance. The fire department that was on scene and began their medical treatment to stabilize him from the wounds that he received. One of the original responding Deputies stayed with him and provided comfort, while the other was still in the danger zone taking cover behind his patrol vehicle and advising dispatch where he needed fellow Deputies to respond in order to set up a perimeter.

I ran to the Deputies location that was setting up the perimeter and provided cover while he did his job. After about 10 minutes, our dispatch advises that citizens are reporting of a subject running across the freeway nearby with a possible rifle in hand away from the area. I ran back to where my injured partner was, grabbed a responding California highway patrol officer (CHP), and set up an inner perimeter near the last know sighting.

The last I saw of my partner he was hurt, but alive, and getting medical treatment. I was determined to do my job to the best of my ability and help catch the guy who did this. I stood on perimeter, very close to where the suspect would be later located. I was by myself, with a CHP officer not to far away. Hours had passed, and we kept the suspect at bay, preventing his movement. SWAT was called in to assist the search, along with allied agencies all over . I had never seen so many cops in one place before. It looked like an army of cops. I stayed at my post for nearly 6 hours before getting relieved by members of an outside agency, and had no clue or updated information regarding my partner condition.

I called one of the original responding Deputies who was at the command post. It was then that I learned that my partner died from his wounds on his way to the hospital. My heart fell deeper, tears began to stream from my eyes, and all I could think of was to call my wife and let her know what had happened, and to let her know that I was alright.

I had never felt the loss of a partner, fellow Deputy, and a friend before in this way. Sure I have known other cops to fall in the line of duty before, but never had a close bond like I did with him. I would later learn that my partner was shot in the left clavicle area of his left shoulder by a .223 caliber round. The .223 round shattered upon penetration and severed his artery causing him to bleed internally.  Doctors would say that there was no possible chance to save him.

They found the suspect several hours after I was relieved from my post, not far from where I was at. He had been hiding in a large pile of brush, when officers in the area heard some noise. The SWAT team responded and located the suspect. He now faces a long list of felony charges along with Murder.

I have intentionally left out the names, locations, and other information due to the fact this incident has not yet gone to trial, and the suspect has not been convicted.