The name of the Riverside police officer apparently slain by a vengeful Los Angeles officer still cannot be revealed, even as funeral plans are being finalized, police said Saturday.
The name of the 11-year veteran could be released by Monday night, said Lt. Guy Toussaint, the department’s public information officer, in an interview with City News Service.
Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz requested that the fallen officer’s name be withheld by news media while the whereabouts of Christopher Jordan Dorner were unknown. Dorner is suspected of killing the officer in an assassination-style attack at a Riverside intersection Thursday.
The dead officer’s partner remained hospitalized Saturday, with serious injuries and stable life signs, Toussaint told CNS. His name has also been withheld.
Funeral services were scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Grove Community Church, 19900 Grove Community Dr. That church was also the site of services for slain Riverside police Officer Ryan Patrick Bonaminio in November 2010.
Like that ceremony, the entire Riverside police force will turn out for Wednesday’s funeral, complete with an honor guard procession that will bear the 34-year-old patrolman’s casket to Riverside National Cemetery for internment.
While the police department pays homage to its slain brother, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is expected to handle all emergency calls in the city.
The unnamed officer was killed during an attack at the intersection of Arlington and Magnolia avenues around 1:30 a.m. Thursday. Both he and his partner, identified only as a 27-year-old officer on a training detail, were struck in the upper bodies, according to Diaz.
Diaz described the shootings as a “cowardly ambush.”
Donations are being accepted to assist the family of the murdered officer. All checks should be made out to Riverside Police Officers Association Assistance Fund, or RPOA, and mailed to 1965 Chicago Ave., Suite B, Riverside, CA 92507.
-City News Service
