The family of Deputy Isaiah Cordero arrived Friday at a memorial down the street from where he was gunned down Thursday, in search of the neighbors who rushed to help him and called 911.
People from all over were coming to Jurupa Valley to pay their respects to fallen Riverside Deputy Cordero.
When the family found the residents who tried to help, they expressed gratitude.
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We just want the family to know we tried our best to help.
Cindy
"They thanked us for going to his aid. They appreciate that we were able to go and help," Cindy said. Cindy didn't wish to have her last name revealed.
She says she and her mom called 911 when they realized a deputy had been shot outside their home. At 2 p.m. Cordero had pulled over a pickup. As he approached the pickup, the driver pulled out a gun and opened fire, killing Cordero, Sheriff Chad Bianco said.
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"It was something very difficult to live… I’ve never experienced like it," she said through tears.
The shooting was not captured on their surveillance cameras, but the frantic moments after were.
As Cindy and her mom tried to get through to 911, the 32-year-old deputy laid injured the street.
"After three attempts we finally got through, and we tried our best to help the officer as much as we could," Cindy said.
A few minutes after the call, fellow deputies arrived to Cordero’s aid.
Thursday night, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco expressed his gratitude to Cindy and her mom for their help.
"We would not have known this happened for quite sometime had we not been notified by residents," Bianco said.
After inviting Cordero’s relatives into her home, Cindy says Cordero’s family will always have their support.
"We just want the family to know we tried our best to help," she said.
The shooting Thursday led to a deadly two-county manhunt for the 44-year-old shooter, later identified by authorities as William Shae McKay. He was killed in a shootout with police.
McKay, a San Bernardino County resident, had a long and violent criminal history stretching back to before 2000 that included kidnapping, robbery and multiple arrests for assault with a deadly weapon, including the stabbing of a California Highway Patrol dog, the sheriff said.
Cordero joined the Riverside County Sheriff's Department in May 2014. He worked in the county's jail system before becoming a sworn deputy in 2018. He completed motor school to become a motorcycle deputy in September, achieving one of his dreams.
