Memorial service planned for Sacramento police officer

Memorial service planned for Sacramento police officer
Memorial service planned for Sacramento police officer

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Hundreds of law enforcement officials will mourn a rookie Sacramento police officer killed in what authorities described as an ambush while she responded to a domestic violence call.

Tara O'Sullivan, 26, had been on the job about six months when she was shot. She is the first Sacramento police offer to be killed on duty in 20 years.

Following the funeral more than 500 police vehicles are expected to join a roughly 30-mile (48-kilometer) procession through California's capital city to a funeral home south of Sacramento.

O'Sullivan was helping a woman remove belongings June 19 from a north Sacramento home when she was shot by Adel Sambrano Ramos, prosecutors say.

It was 45 minutes before police got to O'Sullivan while a heavily armed Ramos engaged in an hours-long standoff with officers before his capture. O'Sullivan later died at UC Davis Medical Center.

In the days after the shooting, Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn described O'Sullivan as exemplifying courage.

"She chose to be the difference in our community to assist those who were vulnerable and those who alone could not help themselves," Hahn said, according to The Sacramento Bee.

Amid questions about the time it took police to reach O'Sullivan, her parents told reporters this week they would never place blame on any of the officers who responded to her shooting.

"We know that this police department provided the best training for Tara. For that we are always grateful," said her father, Denis O'Sullivan.

Organizers expect Bayside Church Adventure Campus in Roseville, California, will be packed to capacity for O'Sullivan's funeral. A second, overflow viewing site is planned at Destiny Christian Church.

A procession from Bayside Church Adventure Campus will return to the community of Elk Grove, proceeding along the highway and past the Sacramento police station where O'Sullivan worked.

City officials are warning of major traffic delays along the route of the procession.

Ramos, 45, remains behind bars. He made his first appearance in court on Monday facing a murder charge that could lead to the death penalty. Ramos is also charged with attempting to murder O'Sullivan's training officer and illegally possessing two assault-style rifles. He did not enter a plea.

Story continues

The Sacramento jail sent Ramos to a local hospital in the hours before his hearing. Authorities said he wounded himself by smashing his head against a bed frame in his cell. He was later transferred to the jail's psychiatric wing.

all right reserved for yahoo news

NEXT In news vacuum, rumours and concern swirl over Catherine mogaznewsen