Ricardo Lizarraga

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Ricardo Lizarraga (c. 1974 — 2004-02-20) was a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer who was killed in the line of duty. He was the first LAPD officer to be murdered since 1988.[1] He had been with the LAPD for two-and-a-half years.

Lizarraga was shot twice in the abdomen below his bulletproof vest, when he attempted to search a domestic violence suspect. The suspect fled, and Lizarraga died at 3:00 p.m. on February 20, 2004 after undergoing surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.[2] His killer, Kendrick William Johnson, was arrested about three-and-a-half hours later, after a manhunt involving hundreds of LAPD officers and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies, including SWAT teams, dogs, and helicopters.[3]

Johnson was charged with capital murder, murder of a police officer, murder to avoid arrest, possession of a firearm by a felon, and the attempted murder of Lizarraga's partner, Officer Joel Ruiz.[4] Hours after his arraignment on February 24, 2004,[5] Johnson was found hanging from the bars of his prison cell at 9:00 p.m., and died hours later.[6][7]

Lizarraga's funeral was held on February 26, 2004 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, and was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, CA.[7][8]

In 2006, the Los Angeles Unified School District decided to name a new elementary school after Lizarraga.[9] The Ricardo Lizzaraga Elementary School is located at 401 E. 40th Place, Los Angeles.[10]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Associated Press. "Second police officer shot in South Los Angeles in two days", North County Times, San Diego County: Lee Enterprises, 204-02-21. Retrieved on 2008-04-08. 
  2. ^ Jill Leovy; Richard Winton; Andrew Blankstein; Kevin Pang; Christiana Sciaudone; Erin Ailworth. "Officer Killed; Suspect Is Caught in Manhunt", Los Angeles Times, 2004-02-21. Retrieved on 2008-04-08. 
  3. ^ "Officer Killed During Domestic Violence Call", NBC 4, Los Angeles, CA: NBC Universal, 2004-02-20. Retrieved on 2008-04-08. 
  4. ^ Convicted Felon Charged with Murder of LAPD Officer Ricardo Lizarraga. Los Angeles County District Attorney (2004-02-23). Retrieved on 2008-04-07.
  5. ^ Associated Press. "Man charged with killing LA police officer appears in court", North County Times, San Diego County: Lee Enterprises, 2004-02-24. Retrieved on 2008-04-08. 
  6. ^ "Suspected Los Angeles Cop Killer Attempts Suicide", ABC 7, Los Angeles, CA: ABC, 2004-02-24. Retrieved on 2008-04-08. 
  7. ^ a b "Chief Reflects Upon Cell Suicide of Accused Killer", Associated Press, 2004-02-25. 
  8. ^ Gahee, Michelle. "Slain officer mourned as 'a neighborhood hero'", The Tidings, Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles Archdiocese, 2004-03-05. Retrieved on 2008-04-08. 
  9. ^ Regular Meeting Order of Business (PDF). Los Angeles Unified School District p. 4 (2006-08-22). Retrieved on 2008-04-07.
  10. ^ Ricardo Lizarraga ES. Los Angeles Unified School District. Retrieved on 2008-04-07.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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