Monday, November 08, 2010

Officer Ryan Bonaminio killed in Riverside. Authorities looking for big-rig driver responsible

Image representing Associated Press as depicte...Image via CrunchBase
 Sad news out of Riverside today. Officer Ryan Bonaminio was killed last night after he stopped a trucker for a hit and run accident.



The person who is responsible for this horrific crime is still at large, and WE need to be on the lookout to help catch the killer....


This is from the Associated Press.
 BTW, great reporting from Amy Taxin.



RIP

Officer shot, killed during foot chase

By AMY TAXIN, Associated Press

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Authorities searched Monday for a big-rig driver accused of killing a police officer during a gunfight after the lawman stopped the trucker for a hit-and-run accident.

Yellow tape and patrol cars blocked access to the park where the Riverside officer was found shot Sunday night, while investigators and search dogs combed the area for clues.

Authorities said the suspect fled in the truck but did not say whether they believe the person remained in the 200-acre Fairmount Park.

Officer Ryan Bonaminio, 27, was on patrol at about 9:45 p.m. Sunday when he pulled over a semi-truck believed to have been involved in a hit-and-run accident near State Route 60, police said. The driver got out of the truck, ran into the park and was being chased by Bonaminio when the two exchanged gunshots, with at least one shot hitting the officer, Lt. Leon Phillips told The Associated Press.

Backup officers arrived to find him on the ground. Bonaminio, a four-year member of the Police Department and an Iraq war veteran, died at a hospital.

Police did not release a description of the truck, the driver or what company may have employed the person.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered flags flown at half-staff at the state Capitol in honor of the officer.

Bonaminio went beyond the call of duty, "first serving in uniform to defend our nation's freedoms and here at home to protect the people of Riverside," the governor said in a statement. "His courage and dedication in the line of duty will be remembered forever."

Hours after the shooting, Bonaminio's patrol car remained outside the park's entrance as a helicopter hovered overhead and investigators searched the area with metal detectors.

The park was to remain sealed well into Monday afternoon as police continued looking for witnesses, Lt. Steve Johnson said. He did not say if a weapon was recovered.

Bonaminio, who was born and raised in Riverside, is survived by his parents, a brother and sister.

He joined the Army after graduating from high school in 2000 and was a military police officer in Iraq and Kuwait. He also was with a support battalion in Germany.

"Officer Ryan Bonaminio's tragic death is a reminder to all of us in the law enforcement family that the supreme sacrifice of our service is also a cost borne by our loved ones, our families, and our community," police Chief of Police Sergio Diaz said. Bonaminio was the second Southern California policeman killed in the line of duty in the past two weeks. San Diego officer Christopher Wilson, 50, was killed in a shootout on Oct. 27 as officers served an arrest warrant at an apartment.
Enhanced by Zemanta

No comments: