San Diego stops to mourn fallen police officer Jonathan De Guzman

At the church,  bouquets surrounded a photo of Jonathan de Guzman.

SAN DIEGO came to a stop yesterday (Aug. 5) with the closures of Interstates 8 and 15 for the funeral procession of slain police officer Jonathan "JD" de Guzman, a Filipino/American.

Thousands lined the streets and waited on freeway overpasses, saluting, waving flags and shedding tears as the mile-long procession of police cars and motorcycles traveled the freeways in the warm California sun. 

Thousands of law enforcement personnel from around the state and  from as far away as New York City crowded the chapel and grounds of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon in a show of somber respect for gang-enforcement Officer Jonathan "J.D." De Guzman, who died after being shot during a pedestrian stop in Southcrest late on the night of July 28. He was 43.

Despite DeGuzman's ultimate sacrifice, the 16-year member of San Diego's police force "didn't become a hero last week," retired SDPD pastor Ben Harris told the mourners, among them Gov. Jerry Brown and state Attorney General Kamala Harris.

"He became a hero when he chose to live a life of safety and calmness and (when) he stepped forward into his place on the thin blue line, protecting the citizens of San Diego," the pastor said.

Several of the slain officer's rank-and-file colleagues praised DeGuzman, a native Pangasinan in the Philippines. He emigrated to San Diego when he was 20, as a consistently cheerful, generous and supportive colleague and a dedicated son and father to his own two children.

Some of the police cars that were part of the funeral procession.

De Guzman's mother, Fe DeGuzman, received a standing ovation with her tearful testament to her son, who always stopped to take a moment with her and her husband before leaving for work, "to pray, to share his love, his gratefulness for us, and to pray that he would come back home."

"This simple act was also our last moment with him," she said. "That night, he did not come back home. That makes us remember how precious life is."

DeGuzman's teenage son, Jonathan Jr., lovingly spoke of his father as a man who had harbored some less-than-practical ambitions, including returning to his home country and running for governor there.

"His death motivates me to achieve my dreams and create a positive impact toward the world,'' the high school senior said, adding that he was "very pleased with the amount of people here today, because my father secretly wanted to be famous one day."

De Guzman and his partner, Officer Wade Irwin, 32, came under fire moments after pulling over to talk to a man behaving suspiciously in a neighborhood just east of the intersection of Interstate 5 and state Route 15.

The shooter moved to the police car's open passenger door and fired five rounds at De Guzman while he was still seated behind the wheel of his cruiser, one shot severed his spine. Irwin suffered a serious but non-life-threatening wound.

The suspect is an ex-con who allegedly opened fire on them, 52-year-old Jesse Michael Gomez, was critically wounded in the shootout and remains hospitalized.

Gomez pleaded not guilty Tuesday (Aug. 2) to charges of murder, attempted murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm, and was ordered to remain in custody in lieu of $5 million bail. A special circumstance allegation of murder of a police officer makes Gomez eligible for the death penalty if he is convicted.

A second suspect was arrested but has not been linked to the shooting. No motive for the shooting has been cited.

The San Diego Police Officers Association is collecting money for De Guzman’s family. Donations can be mailed to the San Diego Police Officers Association, 8388 Vickers St., San Diego, CA 92111, or made online at sdpoa.org/about-widows-orphans-fund/.

SDPOA officials asked donors to include “Officer Jonathan De Guzman” in the notes of the online donation or on the memo lines of their checks.

Contributions to aid in Irwin’s recovery expenses can be made at a Go Fund Me account.

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Filipino/American police officer killed in San Diego gunfight

Johnathan DeGuzman was a 16 year veteran
of the San Diego police department.

A SAN DIEGO police officer was killed in a shootout after a late-night stop turned into a gunfight, triggering a manhunt that led to the capture of one wounded suspect in a ravine and an hours-long SWAT standoff Friday that ended after officers detained a second man who may have been involved. His partner, Wade Irwin was also shot but is expected to live.

The slain officer, Jonathan DeGuzman, 44, was born in the Philippines and had been a San Diego police officer for 16 years.

The shooting took place around 11 p.m. Thursday (July 28) in a blue-collar neighborhood the San Diego Union Tribune reported.

It was too early to say whether the officers had been ambushed, said San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman. After the killings of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, law enforcement officers across the nation are extra cautious.

After a radio call for backup, other officers arriving on the scene to find their fellow officers shot multiple times despite wearing bullet-proof vests. 

"It happened extremely quickly," Zimmerman said in a press conference Friday (July 29). "From the information that was put out that a stop was being made to that the officers called for emergency cover to when the other officers arrived on scene, we're talking very, very quickly. Seconds to a minute or so."

The neighborhood was cordoned off and a manhunt was launched. They found one man wounded in a nearby ravine. Another house surrounded by officers failed to turn up any other suspects. A second man was arrested but hasn't been linked to the shooting at press time.

Contents of the body cameras worn by the officers were not revealed.

"I can tell you he (DeGuzman) is a loving, caring husband, father. Talked about his family all the time," Zimmerman said Saturday (July 30). "I know him, and this is gut-wrenching. He cared. He came to work every single day wanting to just make a positive difference in the lives of our community and that's why he lost his life."

DeGuzman received the purple heart in 2003 after he was stabbed by a man he had stopped for speeding. The man was convicted of attempted murder on a peace officer in 2004.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer denounced the shootings. He said Saturday that he visited DeGuzman's wife and two children.

“We told them directly how proud all of us are — our city, our state, our nation — for JD. I told his wife and his son and daughter that he’s a hero for what he did, and that they have all of us standing behind their family. All of us.”

"We lost a terrific man," the mayor said of DeGuzman. "He served our city well, served this community for a number of years.”

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