Salinas Police Department Officer Jorge David Alvarado died during a shootout that erupted after he pulled over a car late Friday, officials said.
Salinas Police Chief Roberto Filice said Saturday that Alvarado’s actions during the confrontation helped officers arrest the suspect. Filice did not identify the the suspect or what led to the exchange of gunfire.
“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Officer Jorge Alvarado’s family, friends, coworkers and the community of Salinas as they mourn his loss in a senseless act of violence,” Newsom said in a statement. “Officer Alvarado died a hero and his selfless sacrifice while protecting the community he served will always be remembered.”
Alvarado, 30, was a five-year veteran of the department who previously served in the U.S. Army.
His death was the first of a police officer in the line of duty in nearly 80 years in Salinas, a city in a farming region about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of San Francisco, Mayor Kimbley Craig said Saturday.
“Our community and our police department are devastated,” Craig said.
The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office will investigate because the case involves an officer firing his weapon.
District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni said her office will not provide more details about the shooting until the investigation has concluded.
Alvarado is survived by his fiancee and his mother, the governor’s statement said.
Salinas residents watch as Salinas Police Department officers investigate a fatal shooting where a Salinas police officer was killed in the line of duty in Salinas, Calif., Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022. A police officer was killed in an exchange of gunfire with a man he stopped for a traffic violation and the suspect in his death has been arrested, authorities said Saturday. Salinas Police Department Officer Jorge David Alvarado pulled over a car about 10:45 p.m. on Friday in the area of Market Street and Griffin Street and the traffic stop turned into a shootout, said Miguel Cabrera, a police spokesperson. (David Rodriguez Munoz/The Californian via AP) Lyle Skeen holds a blue lives matter flag as he mourns the death of Salinas Police Officer Jorge David Alvarado who was killed in the line of duty at the scene of the fatal shooting in Salinas, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022. Alvarado was killed in an exchange of gunfire with a man he stopped for a traffic violation and the suspect in his death has been arrested, authorities said Saturday. (David Rodriguez Munoz/The Californian via AP) Salinas Police Department officers mourn a fellow police officer Jorge David Alvarado who was killed in the line of duty on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2022, in Salinas, Calif. Alvarado was killed in an exchange of gunfire with a man he stopped for a traffic violation and the suspect in his death has been arrested, authorities said Saturday. Salinas Police Department Officer Alvarado pulled over a car about 10:45 p.m. on Friday in the area of Market Street and Griffin Street and the traffic stop turned into a shootout, said Miguel Cabrera, a spokesperson for the police department. (David Rodriguez Munoz/The Californian via AP) An officer of the Salinas Fire Department wipes tears from her eyes during a press conference addressing the officer killed in the line of duty in Salinas, Calif., Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022. Salinas Police Department Officer Jorge David Alvarado pulled over a car about 10:45 p.m. on Friday in the area of Market Street and Griffin Street and the traffic stop turned into a shootout, said Miguel Cabrera, a spokesperson for the police department. (David Rodríguez Muñoz/The Californian via AP) Flowers are left outside the Salinas Police Department as community members, and officers mourn Jorge David Alavaro, an officer killed in the line of duty in Salinas, Calif., Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022. Salinas Police Department Officer Alvarado pulled over a car about 10:45 p.m. on Friday in the area of Market Street and Griffin Street and the traffic stop turned into a shootout, said Miguel Cabrera, a spokesperson for the police department. (David Rodríguez Muñoz/The Californian via AP) Lyle Skeen wears a blue lives matter hoodie outside the Salinas Police Department after a fatal shooting of an officer in the line of duty in Salinas, Calif., Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022. Salinas Police Department Officer Jorge David Alvarado pulled over a car about 10:45 p.m. on Friday in the area of Market Street and Griffin Street and the traffic stop turned into a shootout, said Miguel Cabrera, a spokesperson for the police department. (David Rodríguez Muñoz/The Californian via AP)
