Man Being Served With Eviction Notice Kills Deputy

A man fatally shot a central California sheriff's deputy Thursday morning after deputies tried to serve an eviction notice, prompting a standoff that ended with authorities fatally running him over with a vehicle after he fled the home. Tulare County deputies were serving the notice to a 59-year-old man in Porterville when he opened fire on them, the sheriff's department said. Porterville is about 150 miles northeast of Los Angeles in the state's Central Valley.

• The man barricaded himself inside the home with a rifle for several hours. At one point, authorities deployed gas into the home as the man continued to fire at law enforcement, the AP reports. The standoff ended around 6pm when the man left the home and moved through the yards of nearby homes, Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said at an evening news conference.

• Boudreaux said a Kern County SWAT team drove an armored car into the yard where the man was laying on the ground and he started firing at them. The team drove the car over the man, killing him.
• The sheriff said the man had failed to pay rent for 35 days and had been expecting law enforcement to arrive to serve a final notice for eviction. Boudreaux said he "laid in wait" and immediately shot at officers when they arrived. The man's family was in contact with him and urged him to come out peacefully, but he refused, Boudreaux said.
• Boudreaux said the motive of the man, identified as David Morales, is unclear, ABC 30 reports. He said Morales, who has no criminal history, has 18 registered handguns, but used a high-powered rifle to shoot at deputies.

• Boudreaux later identified the slain deputy as Detective Randy Hoppert, a 35-year-old US Navy veteran who joined the sheriff's department in 2020. He said Hoppert responded to calls for help from the deputies who tried to serve the eviction notice, the Los Angeles Times reports. "This is senseless," Boudreaux said.
• The sheriff said Hoppert, whose grandfather was a Tulare County undersheriff, leaves behind a wife who is four months pregnant. "I can tell you there is no consoling that family at this point," Boudreaux said. "Attacks on law enforcement of this nature must stop."
• "Deputy Hoppert gave his life in service to his community. Jennifer and I join his family, friends, and colleagues in mourning his profound loss," Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. "His selflessness, bravery, and commitment to protecting others stand as a lasting example of honor and duty." In 2021, Newsom said, Hoppert "was recognized with a Letter of Commendation by the Tulare County Sheriff's Office for using the training he received with the US Navy to help save a 2-year-old girl's life. He is survived by his wife and children."