Sheriff's Deputy, K-9 Killed In Shootout with Parolee Outside Cal Expo In Sacramento
SACRAMENTO (CBS SF) -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered flags at the State Capitol flown at half-staff Tuesday after a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy and U.S. Marine Corps veteran was shot and killed.
Deputy Adam Gibson, along with his K-9 partner Riley, were killed in a shootout Monday night with a parolee following a chase that ended in gunfire outside the Cal Expo race track, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said. A second deputy was also shot and suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.
Deputies had been monitoring a vehicle matching the description of one involved in a series of burglaries and began a chase that ended outside the fairgrounds complex when the vehicle hit a curb and became disabled.
The suspect refused commands to get out of the vehicle and deputies shot out the vehicle's windows with bean bag rounds to see inside, the sheriff's office said.
After Gibson released his K-9 into the back window of the vehicle, ths suspect opened fire, hitting Gibson and another deputy, along with the K-9. Multiple deputies returned fire, killing the suspect, the sheriff's office said.
The 31-year-old Gibson, a six-year veteran of the sheriff's office, died at the hospital. The Sacramento Bee identified the suspect as Sacramento resident Robert Stephen Calderon, 46, who reportedly has an extensive criminal background and a history of mental illness.
Gibson served two tours of duty with U.S. Marines in Afghanistan and joined the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office in 2014. The K9 handler received the Sheriff's Office Bronze Star for Bravery and a Major Incident Ribbon in 2018.
He is survived by his wife Rachel Gibson and their nine-month-old child,
The sheriff's office said a memorial fund has been established through the CAHP Credit Union.
