Darnell Calhoun: The deputy killed in the line of duty was an expectant father
Riverside County Deputy Darnell Calhoun was a 30-year-old husband and expectant father.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CALIF. – A deputy in Riverside County has died after being shot Friday.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call in the 18500 block of Hilldale Lane in Lake Elsinore. The deputy, later identified as 30-year-old Darnell Calhoun, was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
One person was taken into custody after the shooting, the RSO said.
According to Sheriff Chad Bianco, Calhoun responded to a child custody call around 4:20 a.m. After Calhoun arrived on scene, a shooting ensued, ultimately killing the deputy.
Sheriff: Darnell Calhoun was the nicest, sane man you could ever imagine
Sheriff Chad Bianco said slain Riverside County Deputy Darnell Calhoun was “the nicest, sane man you could ever imagine.”
Officials did not say what exactly led to the shooting.
Calhoun joined the department in February 2022 after serving with the San Diego Police Department, Bianco said. Bianco said Calhoun was a husband, a son and a father-to-be.
“Not one guy with one negative to say about him,” Bianco said of Calhoun. “He was the best, healthiest man you could ever imagine.”
Darnell Calhoun, right, next to Sheriff Chad Bianco. Photo: Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.
After news of Calhoun’s death was announced, law-enforcement departments in Southern California expressed their condolences:
Los Angeles Police Department
Orange County Sheriff’s Office
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office
San Diego Police Department (Calhoun’s former department)
Ventura County Sheriff’s Office
Late Friday night, a procession was held to honor a deputy killed in the line of duty:
Darnell Calhoun: Procession underway for Riverside Co. deputy killed in Lake Elsinore
A procession is underway for Deputy Darnell Calhoun, who was shot and killed in the line of duty in Lake Elsinore.
The violent incident comes just weeks after another Riverside County deputy was shot and killed by a suspect in Jurupa Valley. On the afternoon of December 29, Deputy Isaiah Cordero was killed while attempting a traffic stop. The suspect who fired the shots, 44-year-old William Shay McKay, was chased down and killed.
Related: Remembering Isaiah Cordero: Slain deputy laid to rest
