Deputy Darnell Calhoun of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department was shot and killed in Lake Elsinore on Friday afternoon.
According to the department, the shooting occurred at around 4:30 p.m. in the 18500 block of Hilldale Lane. Deputies were dispatched to the scene for a domestic violence call related to a child custody issue.
The deputy was rushed to Inland Valley Medical Center in serious condition. At around 6:45 p.m., it was reported that the deputy was undergoing shooting on wounds suffered during the shooting.
He was reportedly shot in the leg and torso.
At 7:55 p.m., Riverside County Sheriff’s Department announced that Calhoun, a 30-year-old deputy, had died. Calhoun joined RSO in February 2022, after spending two years with the San Diego Police Department.
He leaves behind a pregnant wife.
“There is not one person with one negative thing to say about him,” said Sheriff Chad Bianco during a press conference. “He was the most cheerful, the most positive, the most wholesome good man you can imagine. Now a father, a mother, a wife and us, are trying to figure out why.”
According to Sheriff Bianco, Calhoun was the first deputy to arrive at the scene. At some point between his arrival and that of a second deputy, a shooting occurred, and the second deputy arrived to find Calhoun suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the street. Bianco said they were unsure of the circumstances that led to the suspect shooting Calhoun.
It was then that a shootout occurred between the suspect and the second deputy.
The suspect, who was also shot during the incident, was taken to the same hospital and is said to be in critical condition. There was no additional information on the suspect’s identity.
A massive law enforcement presence could be seen outside of the home where the shooting occurred, including a Bearcat. Deputies said they were clearing the residence and that the ongoing incident had concluded at around 6:15 p.m.
This is the second fatal shooting involving an RSO deputy in less than three week’s time, after Deputy Isaiah Cordero was fatally shot in Jurupa Valley on Dec. 29.
Dozens of RSO deputies, California Highway Patrol officers and Calhoun’s former partners at San Diego Police Department gathered at the hospital after the news of his death was announced.
KCAL-News Staff
