On January 15, 2013, at approximately 1130 hours, Galt Police Officers were called to a burglary in progress at an apartment complex in the 200 block of F Street. Officer Kevin Tonn, age 35, was waived down by a citizen at the complex who had just then spotted a man matching the suspect description walking near railroad tracks in a nearby field. Officer Tonn made contact with the male subject and an altercation ensued. The suspect pulled a handgun from his person and fired one shot, striking and mortally wounding Officer Tonn. A second officer who had just arrived on scene witnessed the shooting, called for assistance, and gave chase. Gunfire was exchanged as a third officer arrived on scene. Neither responding officers were wounded and the suspect then used his handgun to take his own life.

Officer Tonn was transported to Kaiser Permanente South Medical Center, where tragically he was pronounced deceased. He is survived by his parents and many family members, including his K-9 partner “Yaro.”

A native of Roseville, CA, Officer Kevin Tonn was a 3 ½ year veteran of Galt Police Department. Prior to his tenure with Galt PD, he served as an MPO in the United States Army. As a civilian he served as an Emergency Medical Technician, a firefighter and fire inspector, before returning to law enforcement.

At approximately 4:00am on Tuesday, October 28, 2014, Pomona SWAT Officer Shaun Diamond was participating in a multi-agency, multi-location operation targeting motorcycle gangs. Officer Diamond was one of several officers serving a search warrant and making entry on a home in the 100 block of San Marino Avenue when an interior door opened and they were met with gunfire. One shot was fired from a shotgun, striking Officer Diamond. His fellow officers did not have a clear shot at the suspect and the suspect’s father was in the line of fire. It immediately became a rescue operation to get Officer Diamond medical attention. The suspect was later taken into custody.

Officer Diamond was rushed to Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, where, despite exhaustive life-saving efforts, he succumbed to his injuries at 3:24am on Wednesday, October 29, 2014.

Officer Diamond, age 45 and a 16-year law enforcement veteran, was working as part of a task force involving Pomona and Montebello police and sheriff’s deputies. Officer Diamond began his law enforcement career with the Los Angeles Police Department, then joined the Pomona Police Department in 2006. He joined the SWAT team in 2008. He is survived by his wife and two children.

At approximately 1:14 am on Tuesday, October 28, 2014, Ventura County Sheriff’s Deputy Eugene Kostiuchenko was conducting a traffic stop on the 101 Freeway near the Lewis Road exit in Camarillo. A second unit arrived to assist Deputy Kostiuchenko. They completed their investigation and released that driver. The backup deputies returned to their car and were sitting inside their patrol unit as Deputy Kostiuchenko was walking back to his car. A vehicle then approached at a high rate of speed, striking Deputy Kostiuchenko and side-swiping his car. Deputy Kostiuchenko was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The driver, identified as 25-year-old Kevin Hogrefe of Camarillo, continued on at a high rate of speed before crashing off the roadway near Las Posas Road. Hogrefe was arrested by the California Highway Patrol for felony DUI.

Deputy Kostiuchenko, age 41, was an 11-year veteran who had been assigned to the Camarillo sheriff’s station. He is survived by his wife and two sons.

At approximately 10:30am on Friday, October 24, 2014, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Deputy Danny Oliver and his partner were investigating a suspicious occupied vehicle around the 2000 block of Arden Way when he was shot and killed by one of the occupants. Deputy Oliver’s partner returned fire as the occupants fled to a nearby neighborhood. There the suspects – a man and a woman – attempted to carjack a vehicle whose driver resisted and was shot multiple times by the male suspect. The victim was listed in serious condition as of Friday night. The suspects fled that parking lot into a nearby neighborhood where they carjacked another vehicle, then fled a few blocks away where they encountered a gardener working on a home. The suspects took the gardener’s truck and fled to a Carmichael neighborhood where they were spotted changing their clothes by a county park ranger. Before officers could arrive, the suspects fled east on Interstate 80, exiting at the city of Auburn. As the suspects were pulled over to the side of the road they were spotted by two Placer County Sheriff’s Deputies. As the deputies approached the vehicle they were immediately met with gunfire from an AR-15 rifle, striking both deputies. Both were transported to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where Deputy Jeff Davis was treated and released. His partner, Investigator Michael Davis, Jr., did not survive his injuries.

The female suspect, identified as Jannelle Monroy, 38, was taken into custody at an Auburn city park. The male suspect, 34-year-old Marcelo Marquez (aka: Luis Enrique Monroy-Bracamonte) fled into a residential area near Placer High School, forcing that school and others to lock down their campuses. The manhunt concluded at approximately 4:00pm when Marquez was taken into custody after deputies converged on a home on Belmont Street in Auburn, where he was holed up.

Deputy Danny Oliver, age 47 and a 15 year veteran, had been assigned to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department Problem Oriented Policing Unit. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

On the afternoon of Friday, October 24, 2014, Placer County Sheriff’s Detective Michael Davis, Jr. and his partner Deputy Jeff Davis (no relation) were taking part in a massive manhunt after an incident unfolded earlier that morning in which Sacramento Sheriff’s Deputy Danny Oliver was shot and killed while investigating a suspicious occupied vehicle in Sacramento’s Arden area.

The suspects fled after murdering Deputy Oliver, carjacked several vehicles in Sacramento County, shooting and critically injuring a civilian, then travelled east up Interstate 80, exiting at the city of Auburn in Placer County. Detective Davis and Deputy Davis spotted the suspects pulled over to the side of the road and approached the vehicle. The male suspect immediately opened fire with an AR-15 rifle, striking both officers. Both officers were transported to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where Deputy Jeff Davis was treated and released. Tragically, Detective Michael Davis, Jr., did not survive his injuries.

The female suspect, identified as Jannelle Monroy, 38, was taken into custody at an Auburn city park. The male suspect, 34-year-old Marcelo Marquez (aka: Luis Enrique Monroy-Bracamonte) fled into a residential area near Placer High School, forcing that school and others to lock down their campuses. The manhunt concluded at approximately 4:00pm when Marquez was taken into custody after deputies converged on a home on Belmont Street in Auburn, where he was holed up.

Detective Michael Davis, Jr. is survived by his wife and four children. He is a 15 year veteran of the department who was five days away from his 43rd birthday.

Detective Davis’ father, Michael D. Davis Sr., was a Riverside sheriff’s deputy killed in the line of duty when his helicopter crashed during a narcotics task force operation on October 24, 1988, exactly 26 years earlier to the day.

At approximately 2:00pm on September 30, 2014, Officer Jordan Corder with the Covina Police Department was involved in a collision at Citrus Avenue and Puente Street in the City of Covina while pursuing a speeding motorcycle. Traveling southbound on Citrus Avenue, the offending motorcycle ran a red light at Puente Street. As Officer Corder entered the intersection in pursuit, the driver of a Honda CR-V traveling northbound on Citrus Avenue made a left turn onto West Puente, striking Officer Corder’s motorcycle and ejecting him onto the roadway. The driver of the speeding motorcycle continued to flee and at this writing remains at large. Officer Corder and the driver of the CR-V, a 75 year old woman, were treated at the scene by Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel, then transported to Inter-Community Hospital. Tragically, Officer Corder succumbed to his injuries at 2:41pm.

Officer Jordan Corder, age 28, was hired as a Community Service Officer at the Covina Police Department on November 6, 2006. He was then hired as a police officer at the department less than a year later, and last May assigned to the traffic unit as a motorcycle officer. He received numerous awards from Mothers Against Drunk Driving during his career. Officer Corder is survived by his father, Mark Corder, a retired Covina Police Captain, his mother Diane and his sister Melissa Coterel, who is a Police Dispatcher for the Ontario Police Department.

PEACE OFFICER DEATH

At approximately 2:00am on May 28, 2014, Officer Scott Hewell and his partner were responding to assist a fellow officer performing a felony vehicle stop on a shooting suspect. Officer Hewell and his partner were traveling on El Dorado Street near Jamestown when their patrol vehicle struck a center median curb, spun out of control and struck a tree. The primary impact was on the passenger side door, adjacent to Officer Hewell. Fire Department first responders used the Jaws of Life to extricate both officers from the patrol vehicle. Officer Hewell sustained serious head and upper body injuries. His partner was treated and released from the hospital that same day.

Officer Hewell was released from the hospital on June 6, to continue recuperation at home. On June 11, his condition suddenly deteriorated and he was rushed via ambulance to UC Davis Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries.

Officer Scott Hewell, age 33, joined the Stockton Police Department following his graduation from the Sacramento Police Department’s Basic Police Academy. He was sworn in on September 4, 2012.

Funeral services were held on June 19 at the Christian Life Center in north Stockton, after which the procession traveled to Stockton City Hall for a final salute.

Officer Hewell is survived by his parents and siblings.

At approximately 3:55 a.m. on Saturday, May 3, 2014, LAPD Officer Roberto Sanchez and his partner were in pursuit of a Chevrolet Camaro whose driver committed a traffic violation. Both vehicles were traveling east on Anaheim Street in Harbor City and made u-turns at Senator Avenue, at which point the patrol car was struck broadside on the driver’s side by a Chevrolet Tahoe. The driver of the Tahoe, later identified as 20-year-old Mynor Enrique Varela of Los Angeles, fled the scene on foot.

The patrol car was so heavily damaged the radio was unusable. Officer Sanchez’s patrol partner and best friend, Officer Richard Medina, used his cellphone to call for assistance. Responding firefighters had to extricate both officers from the vehicle. Tragically, Officer Sanchez’s injuries were not survivable and he passed away at Harbor UCLA Medical Center. Officer Medina suffered a broken jaw and other serious injuries.
Varela was later arrested and charged with murder, vehicular manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident, and two counts assaulting a peace officer. The criminal complaint also included an allegation of second-degree murder of a peace officer engaged in the performance of his duties, which can carry a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Officer Roberto Sanchez, age 32, is survived by his wife, Sonia; father, Francisco; and mother, Patricia.

On the afternoon of April 9, 2014, Los Angeles Police Department Motor Officer Christopher Cortijo, age 51, passed away from injuries sustained after being struck by an impaired driver four days prior.

Officer Cortijo had just started his shift with LAPD’s Valley Traffic Division on Saturday, April 5, when the collision occurred. Officer Cortijo was stopped at a traffic light at the intersection of Saticoy Street and Lankershim Boulevard around 5:30 p.m. when a Chevrolet Blazer traveling at a high rate of speed struck him from behind. The impact pushed Officer Cortijo and his motorcycle into a Honda Accord stopped in front of him, pinning him between the two vehicles. Qaneak Cobb, the 33 year old driver of the Blazer was arrested for DUI and possession of cocaine.

Officer Cortijo was twice named Los Angeles Police Department Officer of the Year and during his 27-year career arrested over 3,000 motorists for driving under the influence. Before joining the LAPD, Officer Cortijo served in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Shortly before noon on March 19, 2014, Mendocino County Sheriff’s Deputy Ricky Del Fiorentino was shot and killed in his patrol car by a suspect wanted out of Oregon who was involved in a high speed chase that began near Leggett. The suspect, identified as Ricardo Antonio Chaney, age 32, had been involved in a crime spree that started in the early morning hours in Eugene, Oregon, where he was suspected of murder, committed an armed robbery, carjacked a vehicle and forced the driver into the trunk. He then headed south in the stolen four-door black 2006 BMW 330.

At approximately 10:30 a.m. police received a 911 call from a business owner at the tourist attraction Confusion Hill, north of Leggett. The business owner reported exchanging gunfire with Chaney, who then fled. Law enforcement located Chaney on Route 1 at 11:30 a.m. and engaged him in a pursuit near MacKerricher State Park, with speeds exceeding 100 mph, before the suspect got away.

During the ensuing manhunt, Deputy Del Fiorentino found Chaney’s vehicle on a dirt road in Cleone, north of Fort Bragg. Chaney opened fire on Deputy Del Fiorentino, spraying his patrol car with an assault rifle, breaking the front and back windshields.

Fort Bragg police Lt. John Naulty arrived shortly after the shooting and found Chaney scavenging through Del Fiorentino’s car. Gun fire was exchanged and Chaney retreated into a bushy area along the road. As the gun battle continued, and Fort Bragg Police Chief Scott Mayberry drove up behind Lt. Naulty’s patrol vehicle, providing cover to establish a safer position. Members of MCSO’s SWAT team arrived on scene shortly thereafter. During a search of the scene, Chaney was found a short distance away in the side yard of the home behind the brush line near Deputy Del Fiorentino’s patrol vehicle. Chaney was pronounced dead from what appeared to be two separate gunshot wounds, according to the MCSO. Chaney was wearing a military-style ballistic vest and was in possession of two assault rifles when he was found. A double-barreled shotgun was found inside the stolen BMW.

Deputy Ricky Del Fiorentino, age 48, was a 26 year veteran having served both the Fort Bragg Police Department and the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Department. He is survived by his wife Beth, four children (ages 21, 19, 18, 6), step-son (age 29), grandson (age 5 months), step-grandchildren (ages 6, 3), parents, and siblings.