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Hundreds of people gathered in El Monte, California, to remember the two police officers who died in a gun battle last week.
“Even to the very last moment of their lives, Mike and Joseph proved they were people of character,” Ben Lowry, El Monte’s acting police chief, said at Saturday’s vigil. “They are the best of us. They are the greatest of us. I am a better person after getting to know each one of them.”
El Monte Kpl. Michael Paredes, 42, and Officer Joseph Santana, 31, were shot and killed last Tuesday night after responding to reports of a stabbing at a motel. Paredes and Santana reportedly approached suspect Justin William Flores, 35, which led to a shootout.
Both officers were pronounced dead at a local Los Angeles area hospital, while Flores died by suicide after pointing a gun at himself, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office.
Hundreds of people gathered to guard against El Monte Cpl. Michael Paredes and Officer Joseph Santana, who died in the shootout. (FOX NEWS)
Hundreds of people gathered to guard against El Monte Cpl. Michael Paredes and Officer Joseph Santana, who died in the shootout. (FOX NEWS)
Hundreds of people gathered to guard against El Monte Cpl. Michael Paredes and Officer Joseph Santana, who died in the shootout. (FOX NEWS)
Hundreds of people gathered to guard against El Monte Cpl. Michael Paredes and Officer Joseph Santana, who died in the shootout. (FOX NEWS)
Hundreds of people gathered to guard against El Monte Cpl. Michael Paredes and Officer Joseph Santana, who died in the shootout. (FOX NEWS)
Hundreds of people gathered to guard against El Monte Cpl. Michael Paredes and Officer Joseph Santana, who died in the shootout. (FOX NEWS)
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Vigil was held Saturday night at El Monte’s civic center where families of fallen officers read the memories of the men, other law enforcement officers paid their respects, and even comfort dogs attended to offer support to those bereaved.
The city of El Monte announces Corporal Michael Paredes and Officer Joseph Santana have died in the line of duty.
(City of El Monte)
At one point, Santana’s brother-in-law read a letter written by the widow of the fallen officer to the assembled crowd.
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“Every inch of my body breaks missing you,” said Mark Jimenez as he read his sister’s letter. “I miss your kisses, your hugs, your voice. I miss seeing you playing with the kids.”
“I never knew this level of pain existed.”
Paredes’ sister also spoke at the event and celebrated her brother’s “big heart”.
“Michael has a big heart,” said Paredes’ sister Melissa Valencia. “Warm hugs to everyone, and the perfect smile everyone knows.”
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The murder has sparked outrage in Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, because the suspect was a gang member who was on probation at the time of the shooting after he was given a plea deal by Gascon’s office on gun charges.
This photo provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shows Justin William Flores, the alleged gunman in a gun battle in Southern California that killed two police officers on Tuesday, June 14, 2022 in El Monte, California. Flores was named a suspect by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday, June 15, 2022. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation via AP)
(California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation via AP)
“I blame the death of my son and his partner on Gascón,” Santana’s mother Olga Garcia said at a news conference last week. “Gascón will never know how I feel. Gascón will never know how he destroyed our family. He will never know how his children (Santana) feel. Crime is so high in California because criminals don’t stay in prison long enough. We need to hold criminals accountable for their actions. We need law and order.”
Hundreds of people gathered to keep an eye on El Monte Cpl. Michael Paredes and Officer Joseph Santana, who died in the shootout.