LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed Friday, just two weeks after another deputy in the department was slain in the line of duty.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
The deaths of deputies Darnell Calhoun on Friday and Isaiah Cordero on Dec. 29 were the first since 2003 where a Riverside County sheriff’s deputy was killed in the line of duty, Sheriff Chad Bianco said.
The suspect in Calhoun’s death is in custody and was listed in critical condition after a gunbattle with a second deputy, Bianco said Friday during a news conference.
Calhoun was fatally shot in the city of Lake Elsinore, the sheriff said. He died after being taken to the hospital in serious condition.
“I shouldn’t be here tonight having to do this again,” Bianco said Friday outside the hospital. “I’m devastated to tell of the loss of another of our deputy sheriffs who was killed in the line of duty today.”
Calhoun is survived by his pregnant wife, Bianco said. He had previously worked for the San Diego Police Department — the agency said on Twitter it was “devastated” to learn of his death — before transferring to Riverside last year.
“He was the most cheerful, the most positive, the most good, wholesome man you could imagine,” Bianco said.
Calhoun, 30, was the first deputy to arrive at the scene of an disturbance around 4:30 p.m. Friday following a call of “unknown trouble” where voices could be heard in the background, indicating a struggle, Bianco said.
“At this point, we are not completely sure of the circumstances surrounding the initial contact,” Bianco said.
The second deputy found Calhoun wounded in the street and confronted the suspect in a shootout. The suspect’s identity has not been released.
Lake Elsinore is about 55 miles (88 kilometers) southeast of downtown Los Angeles.
Friday’s shooting comes as the sheriff’s department is reeling from Cordero’s death. The 32-year-old was fatally shot last month during a traffic stop in the city of Jurupa Valley, east of Los Angeles.
Cordero had pulled over a pickup truck and the driver, 44-year-old William Shae McKay, shot the deputy as he approached the vehicle. Law enforcement pursued McKay in a manhunt that included a chase along freeways in two counties, authorities said.
McKay was killed during a shootout with deputies after the truck crashed.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and Cordero’s family have called for the resignation of a Southern California judge who allowed McKay’s release from custody on bail despite his lengthy criminal history.
With most world’s criminals entering tge US you can expect to see this daily. And the US is doing its part as well by letting almost all criminals out of jails in many states. What would anyone with common sense expect. Sad sorry situation.
We are living in a third world country now. But worse since we have OPEN borders which really does not qualify the US as a country. (!)
“If it bleeds it leads” WAS the motto for most of our long gone “professional” media.
Today if the bleeding is not a socialist democrat…. Crickets. If the bleeding can in any way be associated with white supremacy or a non woke occurrence it gets front page treatment with some far left embellishments to boot. Controlled propaganda is the word for it. Ask Elon, he knows.
Since 2003 ????
It should not be since 1903.
You idiots open the borders, give special treatment to illegals, drug dealers and you expect the right and Republicans to respect you?
Sure, let’s give welfare, free medical, and a whole bunch more of my and other’s tax dollars so the Late Great State of California can continue to spiral into chaos.
No wonder people are leaving at a higher rate every day.
Does that loser progressive Gascon come to mind who gives hard core criminals a free pass while jeopardizing the law enforcement, no trespass laws, no bail and essentially taking all of the power away from our fine men and women in blue. Just look at all of the criminals he has freed, and they wonder why crime is up 200%. Blood is on the hands of this heinous man and all of the DNC voters of California who vote for this inept, flaccid and ineffective loser.
One major problem here is the lack of respect for authorities. Another is the breakdown of the American family. Yes, you can say it’s the Gascon’s or the Boudin’s or the Kravitz’s, but it’s a lot more than that. To me, the WORST thing is how all the general public are SUCH EXPERTS on how police SHOULD act. These are people NEVER involved in a life or death situation. You have the president saying stupid-assed thinks like “why not shoot them in the leg” or other dumb comments like that. Until the “bad-guy” has to take responsibility for his actions, NOTHING will change. Get rid of the stupid attorneys awarding tremendous settlements to the family of such CRIMINALS as George Floyd and others. No, I’m not a doctor, but he died of drugs, not the hands of the officer. Officer Calhoun didn’t need this. The establishment got him. Rest In Peace, Sir. You will be missed.