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THE CHOSEN FEW
From this one town
A few were found
Brave enough to answer the call.
They acted courageous knowing full well
They might sacrifice their all.
They faced the night
With a tremendous fight,
Now knowing the pain; the pain that would be felt by all,
Because now their names were to be added to the “Wall”.
Their Courageous last stand with weapons in hand
Will always be remembered in this now quiet land.
They wore a star for a shield
And were sworn to protect everyone in the field.
They gave their lives with a fight
Now they can soon see the light,
From the Lord up above
Who always shows his eternal love.
They say O’ Lord with their tear in hand,
Please let us be the last who have fallen from this land.
Written by: Justin Nelson
STEVEN L. ARMENTA
Rank: Special Agent, Field Supervisor
Department: California Department of Justice
End of Watch: December 7, 1973
Cause: Gunfire
Description: On December 5, 1973 Field Supervisor Armenta made an undercover purchase of cocaine in the city of Benicia. Immediately following the purchase Armenta and other agents attempted to arrest the suspects. One of the suspects shot and wounded Steve who died two days later in a Sacramento hospital. He was survived by his wife and two children.
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JEFFREY LYNN AZUAR
Rank: Police Officer
Department: Vallejo P.D.
End of Watch: April 12, 2000
Cause: Gunfire
Age: 50
Years of Service: 21
Description: K-9 Officer Azuar and his partner went to serve an
arrest warrant on a suspect wanted on a no bail warrant. The
officers found the suspect hiding in the garage of the residence. While attempting to place the suspect under arrest, the suspect pulled out a handgun and shot Officer Azuar in the head. Officer Azuar was transported to a local hospital where he was
pronounced dead.
**For an interesting story on what happened to Officer Azuar’s badge, click here.
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ANSON GRAY BURDICK
Rank: Constable
Department: Suisun City, California, P.D.
End of Watch: September 1, 1927
Cause: Gunfire
Age: 66
Years of Service: Unk
Description: Investigating suspicious persons. Shot while checking on a transient he had found earlier.
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JAMES LOWELL CAPOOT
Rank: Police Officer
Department: Vallejo Police Department
End of Watch: November 17, 2011
Cause: Gunfire
Age: 45
Years of Service: 21
Description: Police Officer Capoot was shot and killed during a foot
pursuit of an armed bank robbery suspect following a high-speed chase. During the high-speed pursuit, Officer Capoot was able to force the suspect’s vehicle to stop. The suspect exited his vehicle and fled the scene on foot, with Officer Capoot in pursuit. The suspect waited in ambush and shot Officer Capoot three times. Officer Capoot was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The suspect was apprehended and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Officer Capoot was a US Marine Corps veteran, served in the CHP for two years and served the Vallejo PD for 19 years. He also coached the Vallejo High School girls’ basketball team to a championship.
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NATALIE CORONA
Rank: Police Officer
Department: Davis Police Department
End of Watch: January 10, 2019
Cause: Gunfire
Age: 22
Years of Service: Five months
Description: Corona responded to investigate a three-vehicle accident in the City of Davis. During the investigation of the accident, shots were fired. Officer Corona sustained gunshot injuries and was transported immediately to UC Davis Medical Center, where she passed away. The suspect retreated to a nearby home, where he was located by police. After refusing to come out of the home, he apparently shot himself.
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JOSE CISNEROS
Rank: Deputy Sheriff
Department: Solano County S.O.
End of Watch: August 25, 1985
Cause: Gunfire
Age: 41
Years of Service: 14
Description: Deputy Cisneros was shot and killed while
investigating suspicious circumstances.
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JOSE ANTONIO DIAZ
Rank: Deputy Sheriff
Department: Yolo County S.O.
End of Watch: June 15, 2008
Cause: Gunfire
Age: 37
Years of Service: 4
Description: On Sunday, June 15, 2008, at approximately 7:00 in the evening, the Davis Police Department put out a ‘be on the lookout’ for Marco Topete who was reported to be driving under the influence with a child in the vehicle. At approximately 9:30 that night, Deputy Jose Antonio Diaz located the vehicle and attempted to stop it, but it failed to yield. Deputy Diaz pursued the vehicle into the town of Dunnigan, where it stopped on County Road 5 near County Road 99W in Dunnigan. After the stop was made, Deputy Diaz called for emergency backup reporting he had been shot. Marco Antonio Topete, age 35 of Arbuckle, fled on foot. A short time later backup deputies, fire units, and AMR arrived on scene.
Deputy Diaz was transported to Woodland Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 10:55 p.m. Sunday, June 15, 2008. Cause of death was a single gunshot wound of the left chest as determined by a forensic autopsy.
A massive search was conducted by the Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of numerous law enforcement agencies. At approximately 8:00 a.m. on June 18th, Topete was found by the Yolo County SWAT team near County Road 88 and County Road 4. He was arrested without incident and charged with first degree murder. Topete was convicted and sentenced to death for Tony Diaz’s murder.
Deputy Jose Antonio “Tony” Diaz, age 37, was sworn in as a Yolo County Deputy Sheriff on August 23, 2004. He had worked for the Yolo County Information Technology Department for several years prior to his appointment as Deputy Sheriff. Deputy Diaz was a Woodland resident and the father of three girls, ages two, four, and sixteen.
Five years after Deputy Diaz’s death, the Dunnigan rest area on Interstate 5 was dedicated to the slain Yolo County Sheriff’s Deputy. Two signs were put up renaming the rest area “Deputy Tony Diaz, Yolo County Sheriff’s Office, Memorial Rest Area.” The public and citizens of the Dunnigan area now have a memorial to remind them of the sacrifice that Deputy Diaz gave while doing something he loved – protecting the community.
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WILLIAM L. EASSON JR.
Rank: Police Officer
Department: Vallejo P.D.
End of Watch: April 7, 1966
Cause: Gunfire
Age: 29
Years of Service: 5
Description: Officers Easson and Thacker were shot and killed while making a traffic stop of a local resident. The subject fled the scene but later surrendered himself to the police and was convicted of both murders. Officer Easson served the Vallejo PD for five years.
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JOSEPH FRANCIS FINNIGAN
Rank: Police Officer
Departments: San Francisco PD, Fairfield PD, Solano College PD & Solano County Sheriff’s Department
End of Watch: June 10, 2017
Cause: Long-Term Stress
Joe believed working in the “spirit of the law” and was a strong proponent of community policing. He was a peace officer in the truest sense and always wanted to assist visitors and local San Franciscans in any way. He handed out clothing to local children, he would help people secure jobs, and he was a friend to all. He was a dedicated police officer and would always rise to the occasion when anyone needed his help. Joe’s loss is tragic, but we can take comfort in knowing he is reunited with his first-born son, Joey Finnigan Jr., who was taken from this earth far too soon.
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KIRK A. GRIESS
Rank: Officer
Department: California Highway Patrol
End of Watch: August 10, 2018
Cause: Hit by vehicle
Age: 46
Years of Service: 19
Kirk Griess died Friday, August 10, after being struck by a pickup while the officer was conducting a roadside stop at the westbound Manuel Campos/North Texas Street offramp.
Shortly after 9 a.m., Griess, a former U.S. Marine, pulled over a Saturn SUV. For unknown reasons a white Chevrolet pickup truck veered toward them, colliding with Griess and the Saturn.
Kirk entered the CHP Academy on January 25, 1999. As a member of Cadet Training class 1-99 he began his 19 years of service with the California Highway Patrol. After graduation, he went to the Oakland area where he earned the nickname Hollywood. After a transfer to Contra Costa in 2001, Kirk landed in Solano in 2002. He entered motor school the same year. Kirk loved riding his bike and spent 16 years doing so in Solano.
Kirk was an incredible man. As a husband, father, son, friend, co-worker, coach, mentor–he crushed every goal he set out to do. His extraordinary kind demeanor and his infectious smile made him easy to approach and talk with. He had a heart for service and it showed in the returned love his community has for him. Everyone enjoyed his easygoing nature and his knack for always looking for the positive in others.
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CHARLES M. HAYES
Rank: Fire Lieutenant
Department: Vallejo FD
Last Alarm: September 3, 1961
Cause: Heart attack
Description: Lt. Hayes suffered a heart attack after working long hours fighting one of Vallejo’s worst fires ever: a 10,000-15,000 acre grasslands fire from Napa Junction to Glen Cove.
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HALE HUMPHREY
Rank: Deputy Sheriff
Department: Solano County S.O.
End of Watch: March 15, 1963
Cause: Struck by Vehicle (while on foot)
Age: 43
Years of Service: 11
Description: Struck by vehicle. Struck at road block.
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ARTHUR W. KOCH
Rank: Sergeant
Department: Fairfield, California, P.D.
End of Watch: July 29, 1984
Cause: Gunfire
Age: 34
Years of Service: 5
Description: Sergeant Koch was shot and killed after being
ambushed while responding to a shots fired call.
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WALTER JOHN LEINBERGER
Rank: Deputy Sheriff
Department: Yolo County Sheriff’s Office
End of Watch: November 18, 1943
Cause: Gunfire
Age: 53
Years of Service: 2
Description: On November 18, 1943, Deputy Sheriff Walter J. Leinberger, a popular deputy in the Broderick area (now known as West Sacramento) was shot to death outside a Bryte cabin where he had gone to arrest a man for burglary.
Deputy Leinberger, accompanied by his wife Zetta, was attempting to arrest 38-year-old Luis “Ironmouth” Balle, when Balle burst out of the cabin firing his pistol, slaying Deputy Leinberger as his wife watched. Mrs. Leinberger, who had never fired a gun before, took her husband’s weapon and fired six times at the gunman. She thought she missed him, as he was able to escape, but it was later discovered that she wounded him twice in the arm.
In less than twenty-four hours, authorities caught up with Balle in a Sacramento alley. During a shoot out with the lawmen, Balle sustained bullet wounds that later proved fatal.
Deputy Leinberger’s son, William, who was eleven-years-old at the time of his father’s death, joined the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office in September, 1956, and retired as a sergeant in 1984.
In November 1991, county law enforcement officials gathered to dedicate the Sheriff’s new $3.5 million minimum-security center to the memory of Walter J. Leinberger.
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ROBBIN MACKBEE
Rank: Fire Engineer
Department: Vallejo FD
Last Alarm: July 28, 1980
Description: Engineer Mackbee died as he fought a grass fire.
The award-winning Robbin Mackbee Firefighter Youth Academy, a Solutions For At Risk Youth (SFARY) project, is named after him.
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BRADLEY MOODY
Rank: Police Officer
Department: Richmond, California, P.D.
End of Watch: October 7, 2008
Cause: Automobile Crash
Age: 29
Years of Service: 9
Description: Police Officer Moody succumbed to injuries sustained during a single-car crash in his department vehicle. Officer Moody was en route to back up a colleague at the scene of an assault in progress when he lost control of his patrol car and struck a light pole. Wet road conditions and a slight bend in the road is thought to have contributed to the crash. Officer Moody remained on life support for three days before he died. Officer Moody’s K-9 partner, Rico, also suffered serious injuries but survived.
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VINCENT M. MURPHY
Rank: Fire Captain
Department: Vallejo FD
Last Alarm: May 28, 1939
Description: Captain Murphy suffered a heart attack while fighting two house fires on Branciforte St., just a few blocks from City Hall.
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DAVID NEECE
Rank: Sergeant
Department: San Pablo, CA
End of Watch: September 28, 2019
Cause: Long-Term Stress
Age: 37
Years of Service: 13
Over the course of David’s more that 13-year career in the San Pablo Police Department he developed as one of the most influential officers in the organization. Some of the assignments David held included: Field Training Officer, Detective, Master Sergeant, Peer Support, and Supervisor of Code Enforcement, School Resource Officers, and Tobacco Enforcement. He also served as the San Pablo Police Employees Association Vice-President and President.
The professional passion in David’s career rested in his role with the SWAT Team. In 2009, David was selected to join the inaugural team to form the Special Entry and Apprehension Team. He advanced to Team Leader. Under David’s leadership, the team evolved into the first fully operational SWAT Team in the department’s history. David was recognized as the heart of the team.
VIRGIL L. THOMAS
Rank: Sergeant
Department: Richmond, California, P.D.
End of Watch: August 20, 2020
Cause: COVID-19
Age: 50
Years of Service: 24
Description: Sgt. Thomas passed from complications due to Covid-19 contracted while working as a essential worker, a peace officer. Sgt. Thomas was a long time board member of the Richmond Police Officers Association and the President of the RPOA in 2015. Sgt. Thomas served Richmond residents for over 24 years with the Richmond Police Department. Before coming to Richmond, Sgt. Thomas started his career as a police officer in the Albany and Novato Police Departments. In his long career with Richmond, Sgt. Thomas held assignments in the Neighborhood Services Team, Training Officer Program, and School Resource Unit at Kennedy High School. During his time as a School Resource Officer, he mentored and guided under served Richmond youth and was like a father figure to many. He also coached youth baseball and softball. At the beginning of this year he returned to the School Resource Unit as the unit supervisor where continued to embrace the youth.