California police officer shot and killed in line of duty
NorCal police officer killed in shootout
An officer with the Marysville Police Department in Yuba County was shot and killed by a suspect while serving a search warrant in Olivehurst Wednesday morning.
MARYSVILLE, Calif. - An officer with the Marysville Police Department in Yuba County was shot and killed by a suspect while serving a search warrant in Olivehurst on Wednesday morning.
The Marysville Police Department identified the fallen officer as Osmar Rodarte.
The backstory:
Twenty search warrants were carried out Wednesday following a years-long investigation into a transnational drug trafficking organization spanning several counties, according to Yuba County District Attorney Clint Curry.
One of the search warrants led officers with the Sutter regional SWAT team to Kestrel Court around 7:50 a.m., where the shooting took place, according to Yuba County Sheriff Wendell Anderson.
The 20 search warrants were the results of "prolonged" investigations by the Yuba-Sutter Narcotics and Gang Enforcement Taskforce (NET-5), Anderson said.
DA Curry also serves as the chairman of NET-5.
When officers entered the home, gunfire erupted between the suspect and officers, according to Anderson.
Rodarte was struck by the suspect and died from his injuries at Adventist Health and Rideout Hospital, according to Anderson.
The suspect died at the scene, Anderson said.
Curry later added that at this time it's believed that the suspect was shot and killed by officers, though officials have not confirmed this.
Dig deeper:
Warrants were served on suspects in Butte, Yuba, Sutter, and Tehama Counties, for allegedly trafficking meth and fentanyl from Mexico, "harming our community and children," Curry said.
Another person was present in the home at the time of the shooting, though Curry said they are being treated as a witness at this time.
Anderson said the person was detained, questioned, and then released a few hours after the shooting.
Officials did not say the other person's relation to the suspect or otherwise describe them.
What they're saying:
"These were major players moving poison in our communities," Curry said at a press conference about the shooting Wednesday afternoon.
Several law enforcement agencies and personnel were present at the conference, including the special agent in charge of the FBI and DEA Sacramento offices, Sutter and Yuba Counties sheriffs, Yuba City, Wheatland, and Marysville police officers, the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of California, and the mayor of Marysville, who expressed his condolences over the shooting.
"This tragedy has rocked our small community," Anderson said.
Anderson called the shooting a "senseless tragedy" and said the slain officer was well-respected and well-liked.
"This is a sad day in the City of Marysville," added Police Chief Christian Sachs.
Sachs said Rodarte had worked for the department for two years and was a U.S. Army veteran, a brother, a father, and "a close friend."
California State Assemblyman James Gallagher of Sutter County also spoke about the tragedy on social media, saying "we have learned that one of our young brave Marysville police officers has been killed in the line of duty. Our hearts and our prayers are with this young officer’s family and our local law enforcement family."
Anderson and Curry said Rodarte's death marks the first on-duty death of a Marysville officer in over a hundred years.
Curry said it'll most likely be months before the whole story about the fatal shooting comes out and asked for patience from the community in the meantime.
He said it's believed the officer was wearing a bulletproof vest at the time of the shooting, and that there weren't any other reported incidents or altercations at the 19 other locations that were searched.
Because the suspect was killed, a separate investigation into an officer-involved shooting will be conducted.
What's next:
In a statement, Sachs said community members can come together and line the sidewalks for a procession being held Thursday at 9:30 a.m. from the Lakeside Chapel on D Street in Marysville to Placer County.
"Your presence will be a powerful testament to the impact Officer Rodarte had on all of us, and the strength of the community he served so selflessly," Sachs said.
The Source: Press conference involving Yuba City DA and sheriff, Marysville mayor and police chief, James Gallagher statement via social media, Marysville PD statement