Tulare deputy is first CA law enforcement official killed in line of duty in 2026
Tulare County deputy Randy Hoppert is the first California law enforcement official killed in the line of duty in 2026.
Hoppert, 35, responded Thursday to a live scene in Porterville where other deputies had called for assistance and reported shots fired after a man was served an eviction notice at a home.
Hoppert was struck by gunfire and was later pronounced dead at Sierra View Medical Center in Porterville.
According to the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation website, camemorial.org, Hoppert is the first law enforcement official killed in the line of duty in California since Alhambra Police Officer Alec Sanders, 28, died in a traffic collision on Nov. 20, 2025.
More than 1,670 officers have been killed in the line of duty since California became a state.
They are honored annually during the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremonies held the first week of May at the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Monument located on State Capitol grounds in Sacramento.
California law enforcement deaths by year
Here’s how many California law enforcement officers have been killed by year since 2015, according to camemorial.org:
- 2025: 12
- 2024: 3
- 2023: 5
- 2022: 8
- 2021: 14
- 2020: 10
- 2019: 6
- 2018: 10
- 2017: 6
- 2016: 10
- 2015: 5
California law enforcement officers killed in 2025
According to camemorial.org, 12 California law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in 2025.
Deputy Timothy Corlew
Age: 40
Department: Riverside Co. Sheriff’s Office
End of Watch: Jan. 8, 2025
Deputy Hector Cuevas, Jr.
Age: 36
Department: San Bernardino Co. Sheriff’s Department
End of Watch: March 17, 2025
Officer Osmar Rodarte
Age: 27
Department: Marysville Police Department
End of Watch: March 26, 2025
Officer Samuel Riveros
Age: 35
Department: Baldwin Park Police Department
End of Watch: May 31, 2025
Sergeant I Shiou Lih Deng
Age: 53
Department: Los Angeles Police Department
End of Watch: June 23, 2025
Parole Agent Joshua Byrd
Age: 40
Department: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
End of Watch: July 17, 2025
Detective Joshua Kelley-Eklund
Age: 41
Department: Los Angeles Co. Sheriff’s Department
End of Watch: July 18, 2025
Detective Victor Lemus
Age: 40
Department: Los Angeles Co. Sheriff’s Department
End of Watch: July 18, 2025
Detective William Osborn
Age: 58
Department: Los Angeles Co. Sheriff’s Department
End of Watch: July 18, 2025
Officer Lauren Craven
Age: 25
Department: La Mesa Police Department
End of Watch: Oct. 20, 2025
Deputy Andrew Nuñez
Age: 28
Department: San Bernardino Co. Sheriff’s Department
End of Watch: Oct. 27, 2025
Officer Alec Sanders
Age: 28
Department: Alhambra Police Department
End of Watch: Nov. 20, 2025
