Natalie Corona, a rookie officer for the Davis Police Department, has died after being shot by a suspect in Northern California. The 22-year-old was responding to a traffic accident on Thursday night when her life was taken just weeks onto the job, according to the Chicago Tribune.
“She had just completed the field training and has been out on her own for just a couple of weeks.” Davis police Chief Darren Pytel said, via CNN.com. “She was a rising star in the department.” Pytel added that Corona’s death was “an absolutely devastating loss to the police department.”
Corona was rushed to the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento following the shooting but was unable to survive.
“Despite the lifesaving efforts that were provided by firefighters who were immediately adjacent because the primary fire station is right near where this happened, they weren’t able to save her,” Pytel said.
She had just graduated from the police academy in July 2018.
The suspect in Corona’s murder, who later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, has not been identified and a probable cause for the shooting has not been determined.
Corona becomes the second rookie female officer to be shot and killed in two days. The prior day, Shreveport police officer Chateri Payne was shot at a home in Louisiana at the beginning of her shift.
Our deepest condolences are with the families and friends who lost their loved ones.