Lemoore police officer killed Saturday night in Hanford trying to help in tragic incident

The incident occurred about 9 p.m. Saturday night (Nov. 2) during a birthday party when deputies say that suspect Ramiro Trevino Jr., shot and killed himself after shooting his father, Ramiro Trevino Sr., 58, and 31-year-old Johnathan Diaz after they attempted to break up a fight between the younger Trevino and his girlfriend. The two managed to remove the girlfriend from the home.

Detectives believe the incident was a murder/suicide arising from the domestic violence incident between Trevino Jr. and his girlfriend. Once the elder Trevino, and Diaz, a Lemoore police officer, removed the girlfriend from the house, they encountered Trevino Jr., who had armed himself with multiple firearms. It was at this point that Trevino Jr. fatally shot Diaz and wounded Trevino Sr.

Trevino Sr. is currently hospitalized.

Pictured is Jonathan Diaz with former Lemoore chief, Darrell Smith, when he was named Public Safety Officer of the Year in 2018.

Photo Courtesy Lemoore Police Department

After shooting the two victims, deputies believe the younger Trevino committed suicide by shooting himself. "It was determined at the scene that the suspect had self-inflicted gunshot wounds," said Kings County Sheriff Dave Robinson during a Sunday morning press conference. He also said the Trevino owned three firearms, including a semi-automatic AR-15 style weapon and at least two handguns. Two of the guns were registered, while a third was a job-related weapon. 

Robinson also said that Diaz was the Lemoore Police Department's representative on the Kings County Sheriffs Department Major Crimes Task Force and that he felt that Diaz tried to mediate the problem. "They were trying to do the right thing by calming the situation," said Robinson. "Our hearts go out to the victims and the Lemoore Police Department."

Lemoore's Diaz joined the Lemoore Police Department in 2015. Previously he was a reserve officer in Huron when Chief Darrell Smith hired him for Lemoore. In 2018 Diaz was recognized by his department as the Public Safety Officer of the Year.

The incident occurred during a birthday party for Ramiro Trevino Sr. The sheriff’s report stated that Trevino and Officer Diaz were friends.

The suspect, Ramiro Trevino Jr., 32, was a welfare investigator with Kings County.

The Kings County Sheriff’s Office Detective Unit is investigating the incident. The California Department of Justice Crime Scene Unit helped by processing the crime scene.