Deputy fatally shot during eviction; suspect killed by armored vehicle
Deputy fatally shot during eviction; suspect killed by armored vehicle
Jenny Espino, Ron Holman, Elizabeth Roberts and Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY NETWORK... See moreFri, April 10, 2026 at 5:33 PM UTC
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A California sheriff's deputy was fatally shot while serving an eviction order when a suspect opened fire, and the suspect was later killed after officers ran over him with an armored vehicle.
The shooting unfolded April 9 at about 10:20 a.m. when Tulare County deputies arrived at a home in Porterville to serve an eviction notice on 59-year-old David Morales, reported the Visalia Times Delta, part of the USA TODAY Network. Morales opened fire, striking Deputy Randy Hoppert, 35, according to Tulare Sheriff Mike Boudreaux.
Porterville is a city in central California with about 60,000 residents between Fresno and Bakersfield.
Hoppert was rushed to a hospital and died from his injuries. He was a six-year veteran of the force and a Navy corpsman who served from 2010 to 2015.
After shooting Hoppert, Morales barricaded himself inside but was later able to escape through a window, dressed in camouflage and armed with a long rifle. He hid in brush and eluded officers prompting a search that lasted for hours, authorities said. The sheriff announced he had been run over by a Kern County BearCat armored SWAT vehicle just before 6 p.m.
"Sheriff Boudreaux, and all of us at the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, are shocked and deeply saddened by today’s tragic events. We ask that you keep our Deputy’s grieving family in your prayers," the sheriff's office posted on its Facebook page.
Shooting suspect evaded arrest for hours before he was killed
After Morales escaped, law enforcement emptied four blocks in the neighborhood where officers believed he was hiding. Residents took shelter at a nearby church, and SWAT teams went door-to-door to ask others to remain sheltered in place. The suspect "evidently (was) hopping from house to house," Boudreaux said.
As the search was ongoing, the sheriff's office said "shots are still being fired" during the afternoon. Boudreaux said at a news conference there were no estimates for how many rounds the suspect fired in total in his encounter with officers.
"We wanted him to come out peacefully, but he pushed back against that," the sheriff said, adding that the suspect continued shooting at officers "all day."
"He said he was going down in a blaze of glory, he ain't going down peacefully. He made that very well known," Boudreaux said.
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Tactical vehicles known as BearCats, were dispatched to the area, one of out Kern County and the other out of Visalia. Multiple BearCats were fired at, the sheriff said. At one point, Morales fired rounds into the windshield of a BearCat. One of the vehicles that took fire ran over him, killing him.
A California Highway Patrol officer stands near his parked cruiser where crime scene tape cordons off a Porterville street near an area where someone opened fire Tulare County Sheriff's deputies who were serving an eviction notice.
"Don't shoot at cops," Boudreaux said. "If you shoot at cops, we're going to run you over. He got run over. He got what he deserved."
The sheriff said that the suspect had 18 registered firearms. Those were all handguns, which was "off," the sheriff said, "because he's shooting with rifles." He said Morales had no criminal record.
"It was a very simple eviction to where he was going be ordered from his home. That's the most peculiar of it all. He wasn't facing any criminal charges," Boudreaux said.
Tulare County law enforcement officials gather at the scene of a shooting Thursday, April 9, 2026, that claimed the life of a deputy as officials tried to serve an eviction notice in PortersvilleWho was Randy Hoppert, deputy killed in shooting
Hoppert joined the force in 2020, the sheriff's office said. He served in the Navy from 2010 to 2015 before he began his career in law enforcement. In 2021, Hoppert received a letter of commendation by the Tulare County Sheriff's Office for using his Navy training to help save a 2-year-old girl's life, Gov. Gavin Newsom said.
The fallen deputy leaves behind a wife who is four months pregnant, Boudreaux said.
Boudreaux said the fallen officer's body had been taken to the coroner's office and that his wife and mother were present and said their last regards. He said he met with them at Sierra View Medical Center and that “there is no consoling this family at this point.” The sheriff asked for privacy for grieving family members who he said were having trouble at this time even "standing on their own two feet."
Officers formed an honorable escort for the fallen officer from the hospital to the coroner's office late Thursday.
Newsom ordered flags at the State Capitol to be flown at half-staff to honor Hoppert.
"His selflessness, bravery, and commitment to protecting others stand as a lasting example of honor and duty. Deputy Hoppert’s legacy will endure, and his sacrifice will always be remembered," Newsom said.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Deputy fatally shot during eviction; suspect killed by armored vehicle
Source: “AOL Breaking”
