California Deputy and K9 Killed in Cal Expo Shooting

An unnamed Sacramento sheriff’s deputy and a K9 officer were slain on Monday night in a shooting on the Cal Expo grounds.

“Sacramento Sheriff Scott Jones announced 6-year Sheriff Deputy killed in the line of duty in shooting with suspect at Cal Expo,” CBS13 reporter Steve Large tweeted in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. “Second deputy also shot is in stable condition. Suspect was killed in shooting. A Sheriff K-9 also shot and killed.”

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that Deputy Adam Gibson was a six-year veteran of the force, and leaves behind both a wife and child. He also confirmed the suspect was killed in the exchange with law enforcement authorities. The sheriff also said a K9 killed in the shooting, named Riley, was a three-year veteran of the department.

The suspect, identified today as Robert Stephen Calderon, was stopped at Arden Way and Morse Avenue, but fled until he crashed into the Cal Expo horse track. He reportedly “refused to communicate” with officers on the scene, prompting them to release the K9 officer. The suspect then shot and killed the K9 and began firing at the other officers.

Before deputies shot and killed the suspect, he had killed the aforementioned deputy and K9 officer, and wounded two other K9s. One of the remaining dogs has been stabilized, while the other was later pronounced dead at the hospital despite all efforts.

His mother, Jenny Calderon, said her son had a history of drug use. “I think he was bi-polar,” she said. “He saw people coming out of the walls,” she continued. “They would come, and they would abuse him. And he was mad at me because he thought I was letting them into his room.”

Calderon’s family described him as “a former truck driver and in-home health services worker who loved animals and had a small pug named Max,” but said he was “frequently homeless and living in a Chevrolet Suburban, often parking it outside the used clothing store where deputies contacted him Monday night.”

“I’m glad he’s dead,” Calderon’s mother said, during an emotional exchange with the press, “Because if he knew what he had done to that deputy’s family, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself.”