The body of fallen Tulare County Sheriff’s Office deputy Randy Hoppert was escorted Monday afternoon to Salsar and Dillard Funeral Home in Visalia.
Sheriff’s deputies brought the body of Hoppert to the funeral home in Visalia following a procession of law enforcement vehicles who escorted Hoppert from the Tulare County Coroner’s Office in Tulare.
The public stood along the procession route, with many community members paying respect.
Hopper is the first California law enforcement killed in the line of duty in 2026. His killing has shaken the region who has been mourning the loss of the 35-year-old deputy, a six-year-veteran of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.
Hoppert was killed in the line of duty Thursday, April 9, when a man ambushed deputies serving an eviction notice at a home in Porterville.
Hoppert was rushed to Sierra View District Hospital in Porterville, where he was pronounced dead. His body of the slain deputy was escorted in a procession from Porterville to the Tulare County Coroner’s Office Thursday afternoon, where the body was until Monday afternoon.
Hoppert was the grandson of former Tulare County Undersheriff Doyle Hoppert. He is survived by his wife, and their two sons, as well as his mother and sister.
Residents gather along Caldwell Avenue in Visalia as a procession of law enforcement vehicles escorts the body of Fallen TCSO Deputy Randy Hoppert from the Tulare County Coroner’s Office in Tulare to Salsar and Dillard Funeral Home in Visalia on Monday, April 13, 2026. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
Residents gather along Caldwell Avenue in Visalia as a procession of law enforcement vehicles escorts the body of Fallen TCSO Deputy Randy Hoppert from the Tulare County Coroner’s Office in Tulare to Salsar and Dillard Funeral Home in Visalia on Monday, April 13, 2026. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
Tulare County Sheriff’s deputies salute as the body of Fallen TCSO Deputy Randy Hoppert is carried into Salsar and Dillard Funeral Home in Visalia on Monday, April 13, 2026. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
Tulare County Sheriff’s deputies transport the body of Fallen TCSO Deputy Randy Hoppert is carried into Salsar and Dillard Funeral Home in Visalia following a processional of law enforcement vehicles who escorted Hoppert from the Tulare County Coroner’s Office in Tulare as community members paid respects along the route on Monday, April 13, 2026. CRAIG KOHLRUSS ckohlruss@fresnobee.com
María G. Ortiz-Briones is a reporter and photographer for McClatchy’s Vida en el Valle publication and the Fresno Bee. She covers issues that impact the Latino community in the Central Valley. She is a regular contributor to La Abeja, The Bee’s free weekly newsletter on Latino issues. | María G. Ortiz-Briones es reportera y fotógrafa de la publicación Vida en el Valle de McClatchy y el Fresno Bee. Ella cubre temas que impactan a la comunidad latina en el Valle Central. Es colaboradora habitual de La Abeja, el boletín semanal gratuito de The Bee sobre temas latinos.Support my work with a digital subscription
