The unidentified man who is alleged to have shot Newman police officer Cpl. Ronil Singh, 33, “is considered armed and dangerous,” Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson said during a news conference on Thursday afternoon.
“This suspect […] is in our country illegally. He doesn’t belong here. He is a criminal. We will find him, we will arrest him, we will bring him to justice,” Christianson said.
The officer was shot and murdered during a traffic stop just before 1 a.m. Wednesday in Newman, a town located southeast of San Francisco. The suspect was stopped by Singh as part of a drunk driving investigation before engaging in a gunfight with the officer, during which Singh tried to defend himself, Christianson said. The officer reported "shots fired" over his radio a few minutes later, yet by the time the backup officers arrived, the suspect fled the scene and Singh was found injured. He was rushed to the hospital, where he died from his gunshot wounds, the department said.
President Trump addressed the manhunt on Twitter on Thursday, noting that this is another example why the country needs to take a tough stand on border security. “There is right now a full-scale manhunt going on in California for an illegal immigrant accused of shooting and killing a police officer during a traffic stop,” Trump tweeted. “Time to get tough on Border Security. Build the Wall!” the US President wrote.