2019-06-19: Murder of a Police Officer 200 block Redwood Ave

Summary

On June 19, 2019, at approximately 11:43 a.m., the Sacramento Police Department received a call regarding a disturbance between a male and a female. Officers made contact with the involved female at a residence in the 3700 block of Esperanza Drive.

At approximately 5:41p.m. officers responded to a residence in the 200 block of Redwood Avenue to standby while the involved female gathered some belongings from a residence.

At approximately 6:10 p.m., officers on scene reported shots had been fired, and an officer was struck by gun fire. The suspect continued to fire multiple times and the officers believed the gun used by the suspect was a rifle type firearm.

At approximately 6:54 p.m., additional officers responded with an armored vehicle to rescue the officer that had been shot.

At approximately 6:59 p.m., the officer was transported to a local area hospital. Officers remained on scene and secured a perimeter to contain the suspect who sporadically shot at officers. Throughout this prolonged event, multiple officers returned fire. Officers also evacuated nearby residents in the area.

Officers from the Crisis Negotiation Team eventually established communication with the suspect. Several hours later, at approximately 1:54 a.m., on June 20, 2019, the suspect surrendered and was safely taken into custody. Officers secured the scene for CSI and detectives.

The officer who was shot, Tara Christina O’Sullivan succumbed to her injuries after being transported to the hospital.

Audio and video releases

On June 22, 2019 the Department released video and audio material related to this incident. The material consisted of one (1) body-worn camera (BWC) video.

All video and audio being released have been redacted to ensure the confidentiality and privacy of those involved. The faces and/or identifying materials have been blurred, and audio redactions are signified by muted audio with no accompanying sound. This incident falls under the City Council policy on Police Use of Force. The Police Department released this material to provide information quickly to our community.

Status and released records

This investigation remains active therefore certain details will not be released due to the ongoing administrative review and criminal investigation. This incident continues to be investigated by the Sacramento Police Department’s Homicide Unit and will be monitored by the Internal Affairs Division and investigators from the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office. A response and investigation into the incident will also be conducted by the Force Investigation Team. The investigation will focus on policy, tactics, and training as it relates to the use of force. The Office of Public Safety Accountability will have full unvetted access to material throughout the investigative process.