A Southern California sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed by a man with a violent criminal history during a traffic stop Thursday, and the suspect later died in a freeway shootout, authorities said.
Isaiah Cordero, 32, pulled over the pickup truck just before 2 p.m. In the city of Jurupa Valley, east of Los Angeles. As he approached the vehicle, the driver pulled a gun and shot him, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said at an evening news conference.
A witness called 911 and residents tried to help Cordero until paramedics arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
An “extensive manhunt” for the shooter then began and he was found in neighboring San Bernardino County, leading to a chase on freeways through both counties. The spike strip disabled two rear wheels but the truck kept moving, the sheriff said.
TV news showed dozens of Sheriff’s Department and California Highway Patrol cars chasing the truck.
On Interstate 15 in Norco, the truck eventually became disabled, lost an axle, and crashed, Bianco said.
“At the conclusion of the investigation, the suspect fired rounds at the deputies” with a handgun and they returned fire, killing him, Bianco said.
The suspect, William Shay McKay, 44, of San Bernardino County, had a long and violent criminal history dating back to 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 east of downtown Los Angeles that contracts with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department for police services.
Cordero joined the 4,000-member strong department as a corrections assistant, worked in local jails, was sworn in in 2018 and completed motor school to become a motorcycle deputy in September, Bianco said.
Cordero “learned from his mother the value of serving and helping others” and his goal in the department was always to become a motor deputy, Bianco said.
“He was naturally drawn to law enforcement and certainly embodied our motto of service,” Bianco said. “He was a joke around the station and all our deputies thought of him as their little brother.”
The sheriff said McKay was convicted last year of a “third strike” felony that would have put him in state prison for 25 years, but a San Bernardino County judge reduced his bail, granted his release and later released him after his arrest. for failing to attend his sentencing.
“He should have been sentenced to 25 years to life immediately,” Bianco said. “If the judge had done his job, we wouldn’t be here today.” Bianco said.
A few hours after the shooting, dozens of motorcycle officers and patrol cars escorted Hierus from the hospital to the county coroner’s office, transporting a deputy’s flag-draped casket.