A Southern California sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed Thursday during a traffic stop, authorities said.
Riverside County Deputy Isaiah Cordero, 32, had pulled over a pickup truck just before 2 p.m. in the city of Jurupa Valley, east of Los Angeles when the incident happened.
As he approached the vehicle, the driver, who authorities have identified a man with a violent criminal history, pulled a gun and shot Cordero.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, a witness called 911 and residents tried to help Cordero until paramedics arrived. Cordero was pronounced dead at an area hospital.
A manhunt began for the shooter and he was spotted in neighboring San Bernardino County, sparking a chase on freeways through both counties. A spike strip disabled two rear wheels but the truck kept going, according to the sheriff.
Eventually, on Interstate 15 in Norco, the truck finally became disabled and crashed.
According to Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco Bianco, the end of the pursuit involved the suspect firing rounds at the deputies with a handgun, which prompted them to fire back and kill him.
The suspect, William Shae McKay, 44, of San Bernardino County, had a long and violent criminal history stretching back to before 2000 that included kidnapping, robbery and multiple arrests for assault with a deadly weapon, including the stabbing of a California Highway Patrol dog, the sheriff said.
Cordero was a motorcycle officer assigned to Jurupa Valley, a city about 45 miles (72 kilometers) east of downtown Los Angeles that contracts with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department for policing services.
Cordero joined the 4,000-member strong department as a corrections deputy, worked in local jails, became a sworn deputy in 2018 and completed motor school to become a motorcycle deputy in September, Bianco said.
Deputy Cordero is survived by his mother, Rebecca, and father, Gilbert.
Several hours after the shooting, dozens of motorcycle officers and patrol cars escorted a hearse transporting the deputy's flag-draped casket from the hospital to the county coroner's office.