Funeral services were held Tuesday for a San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy who was gunned down last month before the suspect led authorities on a high-speed motorcycle chase.
Deputy Andrew Nunez was honored with a morning procession before the funeral, which was held at the Toyota Arena in Ontario.
During the service, Nunez’s wife, Roxana, remembered him as “an incredible father, a loving partner and the kind of man who made life feel safe and easy.”
“He was ambitious and fearless, always pushing himself to grow,” Roxana told those inside the arena. “Yet, he had the softest heart when it came to our family.”
San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus called Nunez a “true law enforcement hero.”
“Andrew Nunez knew his purpose, and he performed with courage and unquestionable commitment so that others could live,” Dicus said.
About 8,000 first responders and members of law enforcement were in attendance.
While the funeral was not open to the public, members of the community were invited to pay their respects along the procession route.
Nunez was responding to a domestic dispute on Oct. 27 when the suspect, 47-year-old Angelo Jose Saldivar, allegedly opened fire, authorities said.
Prosecutors said Saldivar had been involved in a violent argument with his ex-wife outside of a Rancho Cucamonga condominium complex.
Funeral services will be held for a sheriff’s deputy who was gunned down before the suspect led authorities on a high-speed chase.
On Nov. 5, he pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted kidnapping and false imprisonment of his ex-wife.
Saldivar also faces four counts of assault with a deadly weapon. Authorities said several of the victims were neighbors or bystanders who called 911 for help.
“Most of those other victims were actually reporting parties that were calling in to 911, and in some of those instances, you can actually hear in the 911 call some of the shots that were fired,” Anderson said.
After the shooting, investigators said Saldivar fled on a motorcycle, leading deputies on a high-speed chase along the 210 Freeway before being stopped by an off-duty narcotics deputy, who used a maneuver that ended the pursuit, forcing Saldivar to crash into the center divider.
Nunez, a six-year veteran of the sheriff’s department, is survived by his wife, their two-year-old daughter, and his wife is expecting the couple’s second child.
