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Veteran Deputy, 20 Years, Shot Down In ‘Direct Execution’ By This Man

By Antonio J. Newell
Published on: 11:36 PST, Nov 13, 2016

A California officer was shot down on Sunday, November 13, after publicly identifying a “known criminal.”

In Stanislaus County, Deputy Dennis Wallace arrived at the Fox Grove Recreation and Fishing Access park, roughly around 8:20 a.m.

Once there, he recognized and identified 36-year-old criminal David Machado.

According to Fox News, Machado was already wanted on a felony warrant for “unspecified criminal activity.”

So, once on the scene, Deputy Wallace intervened and approached Machado. The source doesn’t go into great detail about the encounter.

However, it does mention that moments after spotting the known criminal, Deputy Wallace was dead.

The source reports that David Machado shot Deputy Wallace twice in the head at point-blank range.

Matter of fact, Fox News quotes Sheriff Adam Christianson as follows.

“We know the gun used in the crime was in direct contact with [Wallace’s] head when the trigger was pulled twice. This was a direct execution.”

After Machado shot the officer, he also committed grand theft auto. It was believed he had carjacked a driver from Keyes.

The source mentions that, by the time backup arrived on the scene, Machado was gone. The Modesto Bee notes that the stolen car was a white Kia Rio, license number 6JIS245.

Before police continued their chase, the carjacking victim was able to identify David Machado as the assailant. The source describes him in the following statements.

“He’s described as five feet, eight inches tall, 150 pounds and with a shaved head and mustache. He was last seen wearing a blue shirt and blue and gray baseball cap.”

Moments after, the sheriff’s department placed a public call to action, in order to help them catch criminal David Machado.

The Turlock Journal quotes the sheriff as follows.

“I want everyone to look for this vehicle. We will find him and we will arrest him.”

According to Fox News, the sheriff added the following statement.

“If you see the car, if you see the suspect, call 911. Do not attempt to engage, or stop or talk to this man.”

The Modesto Bee mentions that several law enforcement agencies assisted the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department in apprehending the suspect.

Likewise, luckily with the public’s help, it didn’t take long at all before Machado — considered “armed and dangerous — was in police custody.

The source mentions that the sheriff’s department made their announcement via Twitter. It was approximately two hours after the officer was shot.

According to Turlock Journal, Sheriff Adam Christianson made another statement regarding Dennis Wallace’s death.

“Unfortunately, we do this far too often here in California and nationwide. You have to ask yourself where does it stop and where does it end. These are men and women who put their lives on the line every day to stand between good and evil to protect our community. Once again, we’ve lost a member of our family.”

The sheriff also notes that the fallen deputy was part of the D.A.R.E. program, which is an international, “Drug Abuse Resistance Education” initiative seeking to prevent controlled drug usage.

It also focuses on preventing and deterring gang membership and violent behavior.

“Dennis had a very special relationship with young people and a special place in our hearts,” mentions Sheriff Christianson.

“Even though this tragedy occurred, we won’t stop. We won’t slow down. We won’t change what we are doing to ensure that our community is safe. This tragedy, it’s happened again. We did this in 2012. I never thought I’d be standing here before you doing this again. I want you all to pray for the Wallace family, to pray for public safety, and I call for unity of support — a unity of support nationwide. No peace officer should be killed in the line of duty. Not one.”

What are your thoughts regarding Deputy Dennis Wallace’s death? Feel free to share your comments below.

[Featured Image by Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department]

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