All flags at Los Angeles County facilities will be lowered to half-staff in memory of fallen Baldwin Park Police Department Officer Samuel “Sam” Riveros.
Riveros, 35, was killed during a deadly encounter that took place around 7:15 p.m. Saturday in the 4200 block of Filhurst Avenue. Officers had originally been dispatched to the area on reports of a man firing a rifle in the street.
The responding officers were met by gunfire, L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a press conference later that night. Riveros was struck and airlifted to USC Medical Center but died of his injuries there, police confirmed.
Another member of the Baldwin Park Police Department, Officer Anthony Pimentel, was also shot but has since been released from the hospital.
The unnamed suspect was struck by return gunfire from police, and he was hospitalized in stable condition.
Investigators discovered another person in the area who was shot. They too were taken to a hospital where they later died; it is believed that this individual, who has also not been named, may have been killed by the same suspect.
A memorial near the Baldwin Park Police Department, where Officer Riveros served for nine years, was a member of the SWAT Team and was recently made a Field Training Officer, has been growing since Saturday night’s shootout.
Family, friends, fellow officers and members of the public have been laying flowers, lighting candles and stopping by to pay their respects to a man who served the community with dignity. One woman told KTLA that she went to lay flowers on behalf of her mother, who met Officer Riveros when he responded to her house.
“I’m glad that people are showing gratitude,” the woman, Brenda, told KTLA on Sunday. “Because sometimes, the law enforcement community doesn’t [get] a thank you…we call, and they show up.”
“Officer Riveros was very kind, compassionate and he was really there for [my mother],” she added.
Flags at L.A. County facilities will remain at half-staff until the conclusion of Officer Riveros’ scheduled funeral service, according to officials.
