Female police officer fatally shot in California, suspect found dead

Friday, January 11, 2019
DAVIS, California -- A 22-year-old California police officer was fatally shot as she responded to a traffic accident late Thursday night.

The suspected gunman killed Officer Natalie Corona before taking his own life, according to police.
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Just before midnight, Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel announced that Corona had passed away after being taken to the hospital.

Corona was shot when she responded to a three-car crash near 5th and D streets. It's unknown if the suspect was involved in the crash, and police have not determined what prompted the attack.

Following the shooting, police issued a citywide shelter in place order as officers from throughout the region searched for the suspect.

Police spent hours trying to coax the suspect out of a home about a block from the shooting scene, using floodlights and commands on loudspeakers for him to emerge with his hands up. At one point. they sent in a robot and ignited flash bang grenades.



Just before 1:30 a.m., police announced the suspect was found dead with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The suspect was described as a white male in his 20s.

Officer Corona started her career at the Davis Police Department in 2016 as a community service officer. She had just completed the Sacramento's police academy last July.

According to the Williams Pioneer Review, she was sworn in as a Davis police officer on August 2.
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Officer Corona had just got out of the department's field training program after Christmas and had only been on the streets for a couple of weeks.

She was the first Davis officer killed in the line of duty in six decades.



"She was a rising star within the department, and I've known her for a couple of years," Pytel said. "She started as a part-time employee volunteer, and I can tell you that I haven't seen anybody work harder in a part-time capacity and be more motivated to be a police officer than Natalie."

Officer Corona is survived by her parents. Her father is a 26-year veteran of the Colusa County Sheriff's Office and was just sworn in as Colusa County District 1 Supervisor on Monday.

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