Thousands of law enforcement personnel gather to honor slain El Monte officers

Thousands of law enforcement personnel from throughout the region gathered today for a memorial service at Toyota Arena in Ontario for two El Monte police officers fatally shot in the line of duty.

The ceremony, which followed a solemn procession that began at El Monte police headquarters, was held to honor the memory of Sgt. Michael Paredes, 42, and Officer Joseph Santana, 31, who were gunned down June 14 while responding to a reported stabbing at a motel. Both are survived by wives and young children.

"Like all of us, they chose to be police officers, but they did not choose to be taken from us," El Monte police Chief Ben Lowry told the mourners. "I want the families to note that there is no way they would
willingly allow themselves to be taken from you. "  

"You were the reason they came to work every day,'' Lowry said. "But they left this world as valiant heroes; Mike and Joseph were heroes. I'm not saying that because they died. I'm saying that because of how they lived. We'll never forget Mike and Joseph. Thank you for sharing them with us. They were the best of us."

The procession, featuring dozens of motorcycle officers and dozens more in law enforcement vehicles, set off at 8:30 a.m. and began with the participants passing under an American flag draped from two fire department ladder trucks, then headed east on the San Bernardino (10) Freeway to the arena.

Representatives from all of the Coachella Valley's law enforcement agencies will be in attendance for the memorial ceremony.

The memorial service, scheduled from 10 a.m. to about 1 p.m., was not be open to the public but was open to all uniformed law enforcement personnel.  

Relatives, friends and co-workers of both officers were scheduled to speak during the ceremony, which was also to feature a riderless horse provided by the Anaheim Police Department, a 21-gun salute by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department and a flyover by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Paredes and Santana were fatally shot the afternoon of June 14 when they entered a room at the Siesta Inn at 10327 Garvey Ave. to confront a suspect in a reported stabbing.

The suspect, 35-year-old probationer Justin William Flores, ran from the room after the shooting and exchanged gunfire with at least one other officer in a parking lot. He subsequently died at the scene of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.  

Paredes and Santana were both shot in the head, according to the coroner's office. They were taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead.

Paredes was a corporal at the time of the shooting, but he was posthumously promoted to sergeant.

Both officers lived in Upland but were raised in El Monte, and both were married fathers with children.

Paredes began as an EMPD cadet and was sworn in as a full-time police officer in July 2000, city officials said. He is survived by his wife of 18 years, a 16-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son.

Santana spent six years working for the city's Public Works Department, then worked for three years as a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy. He joined the El Monte Police Department last year. He is survived by his wife of seven years, a 9-year-old daughter and 2-year-old twin boys.

A fundraising page has been set up to help support the families of Officers Paredes and Santana. Click here to visit that page.