2,500 Pay Respects to Deputy Slain in Raid : Grief: Officer ‘gave his life for his friends,’ his fiancee says, and has left behind their unborn son. Death occurred during a gun battle in Palmdale.

The fiancee of an undercover narcotics deputy killed during a drug raid in Palmdale said at a memorial service Friday that the officer “gave his life for his friends” and had left something precious behind--their unborn child.

More than 2,500 people, 750 of them law enforcement officers, attended the service for Deputy Richard B. Hammack, 31, of Quartz Hill, who died in a gun battle Tuesday at a trailer park.

“He gave his life for his friends. He gave his life doing what he loved to do most,” said his fiancee, Tammy Zeiner. “He was a good cop. He was a good man. He was someone to look up to.”

Zeiner said that when she heard Hammack had been shot, she had just been told by a doctor that their unborn child is a boy.

“He’s left something behind, “ she said, her voice punctuated by sobs. “He’s left a child--the greatest gift of all.”

Among those at the service at First Baptist Church of Lancaster were Sheriff Sherman Block, Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl F. Gates and Supervisor Mike Antonovich. Uniformed officers from law enforcement agencies from Inyo County in Northern California to San Diego were also in attendance.

His fellow deputies described Hammack, a 7 1/2-year veteran of the department, as a man who sacrificed his life by stepping in front of a friend in the gun battle.

“Rich, we love you. We miss you. We are in pain. But thank you. Thank you for teaching us so much,” said Deputy Brian Schoonmaker.

Schoonmaker said that Hammack’s death came at a time when morale among law enforcement agencies is very low because of the furor over the verdicts in the Rodney G. King beating case.

“In the past year law enforcement has taken it on the chin,” Schoonmaker said. “It’s not popular to like us.”

Schoonmaker went on to say that in the days since Hammack’s death, he and his colleagues have been inspired by a massive outpouring of support. “We desperately needed that and we deeply appreciate that,” he said.

Hammack was shot when deputies served a narcotics warrant at the Sagetree Village Mobile Home Park. Another deputy, Robert Roth, was slightly wounded and a suspect, John White, 37, of Palmdale was killed.

Sheriff’s deputies suspected that the occupants of the trailer were selling methamphetamine.

As deputies forced their way in, White shot at them from the bedroom, hitting Hammack in the face and chest, investigators said.

He was the second deputy killed on the job in the past six weeks. Deputy Nelson Yamamoto died March 31 after a shootout in Walnut Park.