Tipsheet

California Sheriff Deputy Killed, Another Injured

El Dorado County Sheriff Deputy Brian Ishmael was killed while responding to a call about stolen marijuana crops at a private residence just after midnight on Wednesday morning.

Sheriff John D’Agostini said in a press conference that Deputy Ishmael was shot and killed after immediately coming under fire by an unknown number of people. An off-duty San Joaquin County deputy on a ride-along was also shot while returning fire. The injured deputy was taken to a local hospital where he was released after undergoing surgery. He is now assisting deputies with the ongoing investigation

“Two people, both Hispanic male adults, have been taken into custody,” Sheriff D’Agostini told reporters. “One of which was shot and taken to the hospital, and his condition is unknown at this time. At this point, we don’t know whether there are any outstanding suspects.”

The identities of the two suspects arrested on Wednesday in connection with the killing of Deputy Ishmael have not been identified.

Deputy Ishmael was a four-year veteran of the Sheriff's department. He leaves behind a wife and three children.

In October 2014, two Sacramento-area deputies were killed by Luis Bracamontes, an illegal immigrant felon who had been previously deported several times. At his trial, Bracamontes laughed as he told the judge about his desire to kill even more cops, and his promise to kill again in the future. Bracamontes was sentenced to death, but California's last execution was back in 2006. Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive moratorium on the state's death penalty in March of this year. 

President Trump used footage from the Bracamontes trial in a campaign ad attacking Democrats for their dangerous immigration policies. Following the slaying of the two deputies in 2014, California passed a statewide sanctuary-city policy, shielding criminal aliens from federal immigration authorities.

El Dorado County includes many rural parts of the Sierra Nevada foothills. In August 2018, El Dorado County Sheriffs responded to a homicide at a marijuana-cultivation site that is believed to have ties to a Mexican Drug Cartel, as reported by Fox40 News. Investigators identified a suspect in that case, 23-year-old Jesus Martin Munoz Castro from Sinaloa, Mexico.