Authorities said a Riverside County officer who was rushed to the hospital after being shot Friday afternoon has died.
Darnell Calhoun, 30, of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office (RSO) died in the line of duty and ultimately died of injuries he sustained during a shootout with a suspect in Lake Elsinore, the office said.
Deputies responded to a call in the 18500 block of Hilldale Lane where a non-compliant suspect began shooting at officers, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.
The sheriff’s office said one person was in custody after the shooting.
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Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Darnell Calhoun, 30, was shot and killed on Friday, January 13, 2023.
(Riverside County Sheriff’s Office)
Lake Elsinore is located just south of Riverside, near San Bernardino, both east of Los Angeles.
Sheriff Chad Bianco said Calhoun responded to a child custody call around 4:20 p.m.
It is not immediately clear what led to the shooting.
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Calhoun joined the department in February 2022 after serving with the San Diego Police Department, Bianco said.
“There’s not a single person with a negative thing to say about him,” Bianco said of Calhoun, FOX 11 reported. “He was the nicest, healthiest man you could imagine.”
He was a husband, son and father-to-be.
A photo of Deputy Darnell Calhoun at the San Diego Police Department
(San Diego Police Department)
Several police units expressed their condolences for the loss.
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The Los Angeles Police Department called the news “tragic.”
“LAPD sends its condolences to your friends and loved ones. Rest in peace, Deputy Calhoun,” the department said in a post.
“To our brothers and sisters at the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, no words can express our deepest sorrow for the loss of Deputy Darnell Calhoun,” the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with you, your family and your friends. We will honor him, mourn him and stand with him in every way.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Deputy Calhoun and his brothers and sisters from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. Saddened by this devastating loss,” added the OC Fire Authority.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office said their hearts were “broken.”
“Our hearts break for our @RSO partners. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, loved ones and associates of Rep. Calhoun,” the office said.
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“We are devastated to learn of the passing of @RSO Deputy Darnell Calhoun, an SDPD officer until 2022,” said the San Diego Police Department, Calhoun’s previous employer. “Tonight, he was killed in the line of duty while protecting Lake Elsinore. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and colleagues at SDPD and @RSO.”
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office added: “We would like to send our deepest condolences to our brothers and sisters @riversidecountysheriff as they navigate another line-of-duty death. Our agency has authorized our officers to wear mourning bands immediately, while we stand in solidarity.”
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The loss comes just weeks after Deputy Isaiah Cordero, another Riverside County deputy, was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Jurupa Valley on Dec. 29.
William Shae McKay, 44, the shooting suspect was killed during a pursuit.
