City, state mourns the death of Ronil Singh

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After being fatally shot when conducting a DUI traffic stop December 26, Officer Ronil Singh, a Fiji neighbor, was commemorated with two Honor Guard viewings. 

According to ABC7 News, earlier this morning a procession traveled from Modesto to Newman while hundreds attended a viewing at the West Side Theater. One took place this morning from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at the Newman Community Meeting Room while another was set for 5 p.m.-9 p.m. at the Salas Brothers Funeral Home.

“It’s been a difficult time,” said Newman Police Chief Randy Richardson to the Modesto Bee. “Up and down, we’ve had some good times, we’ve got to spend some time together, tell some stories. But a lot of tears. It’s been a rough week.”

Newman has a population of about 11,000. It is an agricultural community transitioning into a bedroom community but it still retains the small-town ambiance.

OFFICER RONIL SINGH

Among those attending the vigil, were representatives of the state's law enforcement agneicies and many friends, neighbors and strangers who were touched by 33-year old Singh and his family.

“Ron was our neighbor and friend,” said Jann Mathies to the Bee. “He and his wife were fishing partners to my husband. He was such a kind and considerate guy and we are heart sick about what has happened.”

During a press conference at the White House, Donald Trump expressed his condolences, and mistakenly stated how Singh was shot in an attempt to politicize Singh's death.  He said that that Singh “was viciously shot for simply stopping someone from crossing the border. ... We don’t want that happening.” 

Singh was killed when he stopped a man suspected of driving under the influence.

Prosecutors say the suspect, Perez Arriaga, allegedly shot Singh after the officer stopped his vehicle to see if he was driving drunk. He has two previous drunken driving arrests, authorities said.

At his first court appearance, Perez Arriaga told the judge that his real name is Paulo Virgen Mendoza, but authorities were still referring to him as Perez Arriaga in court documents.

Singh's funeral is set to take place today (Dec. 5) to honor the husband and father of a five month old, with an honor guard procession to the cemetery.

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Arrest made in fatal shooting of Newman police officer Ronil Singh; Trump weighs in

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Reggie Singh, brother of slain police officer Ronil Singh, reacted to the arrest of the shooting suspect.

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DONALD TRUMP used the death of Newman police officer Ronil Singh as an argument for his wall because the arrested suspect turned out to be undocumented.

Police captured Gustavo Perez Arriaga in the Kern County town of Lamont, California, a couple of hundred miles south of where Singh was shot during a DUI traffic stop.

His older brother Reggie Singh reacted to the arrest in a Friday (Dec. 28) press conference.

“Yes, he’s not coming back,” Singh said tearfully speaking about his brother. “There’s a lot of people out there that misses him.” Reggie thanks a long list of law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation that lead to the arrest.

Newman Officer Ronil Singh

“Officer Singh’s handcuffs were brought down, and they’re on that guy for his trip home,” Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said.

Police have connected Arriaga to the Sureños street gang. Five other people have also been arrested, including Arriaga’s brother, Adrian Virgen , and a co-worker, Erik Razo Quiroz. They are accused of aiding and abetting in the killing.

Arriaga was believed headed back to Mexico, according to CNN. He has been described as being in the country illegally. The president has used that as justification for his proposed border wall.

Arriaga's arrest was used by Donald Trump to stoke fear and argue for his Stupid Wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. He tweeted, that it was “time to get tough on Border Security. Build the Wall!”

Numerous studies have demonstrated that undocumented immigrants are less likely to be engaged in criminal activity than native-born Americans.

“We can’t ignore the fact that this could have been preventable,” Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson told reporters, asking why the state was “providing sanctuary for criminals (and) gang members. It’s a conversation we need to have.”

Earlier this year, California pass laws that limited cooperation between local authorities and federal immigration officials. and bars police from asking people about their citizneship status. However, the so-called sanctuary law includes more than 800 exceptions fro violent crimes and felonies.

The earlier charges against Arriega fall under those exceptions, notes Sen. Kevin de Leon, who crafted the legislation. “He should’ve been in the physical custody of law enforcement,” de Leon said. To blame the law “is highly irresponsible.”


Rural Newman with a population of about 11,000 was hit hard by Singh's death, especially its 12-person policed department.

About 1000 mourners made up of Singh's relatives, fellow officers and other sympathizers gathered Friday night for a candlelight vigil honoring the fallen officer in Newman.

“This is a man that loved his country," said Newman Police Chief Randy Richardson at the  vigil. "This is a man that worked hard for what he believed in. He believed in this community.”

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Police seek suspect in fatal shooting of Fijian American police officer

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AUTHORITIES IN CALIFORNIA are asking residents to be on the lookout for a man who shot and killed a police officer in California's Central Valley town of Newman.

KCBS Radio reports the suspect is believed to have shot the officer during a traffic stop at 1 a.m. Wednesday (Dec. 26).

The officer has been identified as Newman Police officer Ronil Singh, a native of Fiji who has been with the department since 2011.

Singh could be heard screaming “shots fired,” over his police radio. When officers arrived, they found him wounded. Emergency units rushed Singh to the hospital where he later would die.

“Our Newman Police family is devastated by the loss of Ronil,” said Newman Police Chief Randy Richardson. “If anyone has any information regarding the identity of the suspect, please contact law enforcement immediately so we can get this cop-killer off the streets.”

The suspect is described as an Hispanic man, heavyset, with close-cropped black hair. He was last seen driving a silver Dodge Ram 1500 extended-cab pickup truck, model year 2002 to 2009. The truck did not have a license plate, but instead had an “AR Auto” sign where the license normally would be.An uncle, Ugesh Yogi Singh, said in a Facebook post that his nephew had been “working overtime on Christmas night to provide the best for his family,” referring to the slain officer as “my adventurous nephew” and “my family’s action hero.”

Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Raj Singh told KCRA-TV that he knew the Officer Ronil Singh.

"He was living the American dream. He immigrated here from the Fiji islands, just like my parents did, and was definitely enjoying the American dream," Deputy Raj Singh said. "(He) loved camping. He loved hunting. He loved fishing. He loved his family. He loved visiting them back in Fiji. He loved having his family come over here."

A resident of northeast Modesto, Ronil Singh is survived by his wife, Anamika, and their 5-month-old son.

The police are seeking the suspect as seen here by security cameras.

Views From the Edge contributed to this report.
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