Event Honors Slain Deputy

It was National Night Out on Tuesday evening at Lake Los Angeles Park, and Sheriff’s Deputy Stephen Sorensen should have been handing out safety tips to children during the nationwide crime prevention observance.

Instead, about 300 community members turned the evening into a memorial for Sorensen, who was shot and killed Saturday while responding to a trespassing call.

“Because he was suddenly taken from us, we decided to dedicate the evening to him,” said Ruth Marks, director of the nonprofit Friends of Lake Los Angeles Park, organizers of the event.

Assembled in a grassy park, mourners recalled Sorensen’s deep involvement in the community. “He was first and foremost a resident,” Marks said.

Sorensen was a “resident deputy” for Lake Los Angeles, responsible for patrolling the far-flung desert communities east of Palmdale.

Authorities are looking for 52-year-old Donald Charles Kueck, whose car was found about three miles from the crime scene.

The county Board of Supervisors has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the suspect, and the hunt for Sorensen’s killer will be featured in the television show “America’s Most Wanted.” At the memorial, people sang songs, lighted candles, and remembered Sorensen for acts such as trying to help elderly residents who did not have enough to eat.

“He was the backbone of the community,” said Sharon Toyne, a friend of Sorensen’s and a member of the Wilsona School District board of trustees.

“He stood up for things that were right.”

Sorensen’s boss, Capt. Carl Deeley, said the deputy “was the kind of man who was not afraid to help somebody fix a roof.”

Pastor John Wodetzki thanked the community for the outpouring of support for Sorensen’s family. The deputy’s widow, Christine, “is surrounded by people who love her as well as her son,” Wodetzki said. But, he said, “The hardest days are yet to come.”

Donations can be sent in care of the Sheriff’s Relief Assn., Sheriff’s Relief Fund 304; or the Stephen D. Sorensen Fund; at 11515 S. Colima Road, Whittier, CA 90604.

Times staff writers Monte Morin and Richard Winton contributed to this report.