Calif. SWAT Officer Killed Serving Warrant in Sweeping Police Operation
By Ishani Desai
Source The Sacramento Bee
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- "It's a chief's worst nightmare … suffering the loss of one of your own, and it's devastating. You're never prepared for it," said King City's police chief after the unexpected death of Sgt. Ryan Kenedy.
The Marysville Police Department identified Wednesday the officer who was shot and killed earlier that morning, the first line-of-duty death for the small department in more than a century.
Officer Osmar Rodarte was a newcomer to the department, having served just two years, when he was killed executing a search warrant as part of a sweeping operation, authorities said. The shooting happened around 7:50 a.m. He was pronounced dead at Adventist Health and Rideout hospital in Marysville.
“Our department is hurting, and our community is mourning the loss of a dedicated officer who served with honor, integrity, and unwavering commitment to protecting the people of Marysville,” according to a Wednesday evening statement from the Police Department. “Officer Rodarte was more than a colleague; he was a friend, a father, an army veteran, and a true hero.”
Authorities across Yuba, Sutter, Butte and Tehama counties served search warrants as apart of their operation. Rodarte was among officers who exchanged gunfire in inside an Olivehurst home, when he was shot. A suspect died at the scene, and another was taken into custody, said Yuba County Sheriff Wendell Anderson in an afternoon news conference.
The suspects’ names had not been released as of Thursday evening.
Rodarte served in the U.S. Army and leaves behind a wife and at least one child, authorities said. He graduated from the Sacramento police academy, according to the Sacramento Police Department.
Investigators with the Yuba-Sutter Narcotics and Gang Task Force Unit were attempting to take down a transnational organization suspected of dealing methamphetamine and fentanyl, said Yuba County District Attorney Clint Curry. They seized guns, drugs and arrested others across more than 20 searches, according to the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office.
The details of the operation have not been released.
Memorial service details are pending.
The public is invited to pay their respects around 9:30 a.m. Thursday with a law enforcement procession from Lakeside Chapel, 830 D St. in Marysville, to Placer County.
“Your presence will be a powerful testament to the impact Officer Rodarte had on all of us, and the strength of the community he served so selflessly,” the Police Department said in the statement.
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