Ricardo Cerna
| Ricardo Cerna | |
|---|---|
| Ricardo Alfonso Cerna committing suicide in California, December 2003.ogv Cerna's suicide on December 19, 2003 | |
| Born | Ricardo Alfonso Cerna August 8, 1956 Guatemala City, Guatemala |
| 💀Died | December 19, 2003 (aged 47) Muscoy, California, U.S.December 19, 2003 (aged 47) |
| Cause of death | Suicide by gunshot |
| 🏳️ Nationality | Guatemalan |
| 💼 Occupation | |
Ricardo Alfonso Cerna (August 8, 1956 – December 19, 2003) was a Guatemalan immigrant to the United States who died by suicide in 2003 using a gun in an interrogation room in the San Bernardino County Sheriff's office in Muscoy, California, California. The room's video recording system was running and recorded the event. He was 47 years old.[1][2]
Background[edit]
Cerna was stopped by Sheriff's Deputy Michael Parham for a traffic violation on December 19, 2003. He attempted to escape in his car and then later on foot. During the pursuit, he shot Parham twice in the abdomen, but the wound was not fatal. Cerna was arrested shortly afterward. The San Bernardino Police, the County Sheriff's Department, and the California Highway Patrol were all involved in the chase, but during his apprehension, no one ensured he was properly searched.[3][4]
Video surveillance footage showed that Cerna entered the interrogation room and asked head of homicide investigation Officer Bobby Dean for a bottle of water. When Cerna received the water, he started drinking and Dean walked out of the room. Now alone, Cerna reached under his pants and retrieved a .45-caliber handgun that he had concealed. He then put the gun up to his head and shot himself in the left temple.[5] Cerna died on the scene.[1]
The County Sheriff's Department showed the security camera footage to the media the next day. To avoid sensationalism, only a limited number of selected reporters were permitted for viewing. Although the police tried to control access, the footage was leaked.
Possible motive[edit]
Cerna, who had previously been convicted of other serious crimes, may have understood that he would receive a third strike case for wounding Deputy Parham and possibly preferred to end his own life rather than face a possible life sentence.[1]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Pugmire, Lance (2003-12-23). "Suicide Victim Had 2 Strikes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-06-02.
- ↑ "Motorist in custody commits suicide". DeseretNews. 21 December 2003. Retrieved 2015-06-02.
- ↑ Doug Saunders (2015-04-11). "Why the ACLU thinks the beating by San Bernardino deputies is part of a bigger problem". San Bernardino Sun. Retrieved 2015-06-02.
- ↑ Alex O'Meara (2010). Bad Day for the Home Team. Alex O'Meara. pp. 107–. ISBN 978-1-936144-36-5. Search this book on
- ↑ "Worldandnation: 3 counts dropped in spy case". St. Petersburg Times. 2003-12-21. Retrieved 2015-06-02.
External links[edit]
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