Slain deputy leaves behind young daughter, pregnant wife. ‘He was a wonderful father’
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There has been an outpouring of grief for Andrew Nunez, a San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy who was fatally shot Monday, allegedly by a suspect who then led officers on a wild motorcycle chase.
Nunez, a six-year employee of the department, leaves behind a 2-year-old daughter and a pregnant wife, Sheriff Shannon Dicus said.
“We’re embedded in sorrow,” Dicus said at a Monday afternoon news conference. “Unfortunately for our department, this has happened way too often. We’re going to do our very best to do the most important thing at this point, and that’s to make sure that we bring the suspect to justice and take good care of that family.”
“He was a wonderful father,” he added. “He was a wonderful deputy sheriff.”
Dicus said Nunez was called to a house after reports of a man threatening a woman. When he arrived, a suspect shot him before fleeing, the sheriff said. The deputy died soon after at a hospital.
“There’s a tremendous amount of violence out there,” Dicus said. “We’re proactively trying to prevent this violence.”
A memorial procession for the slain deputy began around 6:30 p.m. as scores of law enforcement personnel gathered outside Arrowhead Regional Medical Center to salute Nunez’s body as it was carried outside the building. A motorcade then escorted the body from the medical center to the San Bernardino County coroner’s office.
The Sheriff’s Department released a statement Monday evening honoring Nunez’s service as a law enforcement officer and extending condolences to his family, friends and fellow deputies.
“Deputy Nunez served with unwavering commitment, courage and deep compassion for the community he vowed to protect,” the department stated. “His bravery and sacrifice reflect a life dedicated to safeguarding others, even at the greatest cost. Such devotion will remain forever etched in our hearts.”
Nunez’s death was met with condolences from elected officials.
“My prayers are with his wife, young daughter and family,” Assemblymember Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale) said in a statement. “His courage and dedication to protecting others will never be forgotten.”
“On behalf of all Californians, [my wife] Jennifer and I extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Deputy Nunez,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said. “His courage, compassion and dedication to protecting others reflect the finest traditions of law enforcement. We honor his life and service with gratitude; may his sacrifice never be forgotten.”
The suspect, 47-year-old Angelo Jose Saldivar, allegedly led police on a high-speed chase and was deliberately knocked off of his motorcycle by another deputy on the 210 Freeway in Upland.
At 1:35 p.m., the off-duty deputy conducted a legal intervention, hitting the suspect and causing the motorcycle to crash, Dicus said.
Helicopter video shows the suspect colliding with a black sedan while traveling at 70 mph, soaring over the handlebars and landing on his back. The injured suspect was loaded onto a stretcher and transported to a hospital via helicopter.
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