California MP killed by driver with violent criminal history

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JURUPA VALLEY, Calif. — A Southern California sheriff’s deputy was fatally shot Thursday by a man with a violent criminal history during a traffic stop and the suspect later died in a highway shooting, police said. authorities.

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Isaiah Cordero, 32, had pulled over a van just before 2 p.m. in the town of Jurupa Valley, east of Los Angeles. As he approached the vehicle, the driver pulled out a gun and shot him, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said at an evening news conference.

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A witness called 911 and locals tried to help Cordero until paramedics arrived, but he was pronounced dead in a hospital.

A « massive manhunt » then began for the shooter and he was spotted in neighboring San Bernardino County, sparking a chase down highways across the two counties. A strip of studs disabled two rear wheels, but the truck continued to roll, the sheriff said.

Newscasts showed dozens of Sheriff’s Department and California Highway Patrol cars chasing the truck.

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On Interstate 15 in Norco, the truck eventually broke down, lost an axle and crashed, Bianco said.

“At the end of the chase, the suspect shot deputies” with a handgun and they returned fire, killing him, Bianco said.

The suspect, William Shae McKay, 44, of San Bernardino County, had a long and violent criminal history dating back to before 2000, including kidnappings, robberies and multiple arrests for assault with a deadly weapon, including the dagger. a California highway patrol dog. , said the sheriff.

Cordero was a motorcycle officer assigned to Jurupa Valley, a town about 72 miles east of downtown Los Angeles that contracts with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department for policing services.

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Cordero joined the 4,000-member strong department as a corrections assistant, worked in local jails, became a sworn deputy in 2018 and finished automotive school to become a motorcycle assistant in September, said White.

Cordero « learned from his mother the value of serving and helping others » and his goal at the department has always been to become an engine assistant, Bianco said.

“He was naturally drawn to law enforcement and certainly embodied our motto of service above self,” Bianco said. « He was a prankster around the station and all of our deputies thought of him as their little brother. »

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The sheriff said McKay was convicted of a ‘third strike’ offense last year that should have landed him in state prison for 25 years to life, but a San Bernardino County judge reduced his bail, authorizing his release, then released him after an arrest. for failing to appear for sentencing.

“He should have been immediately sentenced to 25 years to life,” Bianco said. « We wouldn’t be here today if the judge had done her job. » said Bianco.

Several hours after the shooting, dozens of officers in motorcycles and patrol cars escorted a hearse carrying the deputy’s flag-draped casket from the hospital to the county coroner’s office.