Detective Randy Hoppert, who was recently killed in the line of duty, was remembered at a service at Visalia First Assembly Church on April 28.
Hoppert was fatally shot on April 9, while assisting fellow deputies who came under gunfire while serving an eviction notice in Porterville. He is survived by his wife, Ashley, and their three sons, Austin, Everhett and unborn son Levi.
Photos and brief video excerpts of Hoppert were presented during the service, showing Hoppert as a devoted husband, a loving father, a proud Tulare County Sheriff’s deputy, a U.S. Navy veteran, an avid hunter and someone who enjoyed a good practical joke.
Not your ‘typical’ rookie
Hoppert was born in Visalia on Feb. 11, 1991, and attended El Diamante High School. He enlisted in the United States Navy as a hospital corpsman, serving alongside the United States Marine Corps 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion during two deployments.
After attending the police academy, he was sworn in with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office where he served on the Gang and Narcotics Task Force, as a medic on the SWAT team and as a member of the Fugitive Apprehension Team.
“He was headed into nursing, though that quickly changed,” said his wife Ashley during the service. “During the time of our first dating, we did two ride-alongs … By the second ride-along, we did a felony car stop on a car full of Southerner gang members for a subject with a Ramey warrant who was said to be armed. That’s all it took. Randy never forgot that night and often recalled it as his turning point in his career decision. Randy fell in love with the job.”
Ashley said her husband was always going to be a Tulare County deputy and comes from a “long line” of deputies.
“He told me that many times that he understood the risks and he knew this day could come,” she said. “But his courage was far greater than any fear. He was, without question, the bravest man I’ve ever known and that was very clear with Randy’s desire to always be the first one in or the first one on scene. Randy was a hero.”
Tulare County Sheriff’s Lt. Kenny Jones met Hoppert when he was the new deputy assigned to the Pixley substation.
“Hoppert was not a typical rookie deputy,” Jones said. “He was not quiet. He was not timid as you would expect. In fact, he was quite the opposite. He was eager. He learned quickly and took a special interest in gang investigations from the very beginning.”
Jones said it didn’t take long to realize that Hoppert was unique.
“As a detective on our fugitive apprehension team, and as a veteran SWAT medic, he took on some of the most difficult assignments this profession has to offer,” Jones added. “He didn’t do it for recognition. He did it because he believed in the mission, and he believed in the people standing next to him.”
Answering the call
Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux also spoke during the service, highlighting Hoppert’s bravery in the face of extreme danger.
“Today, we’re here all with heavy hearts in the life and service and sacrifice of Detective Randy Hoppert, but I want you to feel the very danger that he didn’t run away from,” Boudreaux said. “He went into the middle of it. He actually relieved someone else.
“Randy was more than just a detective,” he said. “He was a protector and a husband, a trusted friend, a man who answered the call to courage. He really wore that badge with pride, carried himself with integrity, and he’s one of the best of our community. Randy was reliable and dependable and today we mourn that loss.”
Boudreaux acknowledged the grief Hoppert’s brothers and sisters in blue are experiencing.
“To the men and women of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, this loss is deeply personal,” Boudreaux said. “You’ve lost a partner, a teammate, a dear friend, a member of your family. Yet even in sorrow, within hours, people were required to go to calls for service, and you did, just as Randy would expect you to, just as I expect you to.”
Hoppert’s name has already been added to the Tulare County Sheriff’s Peace Officer Memorial. A service will be held at the memorial on May 6.
“As we never want to forget Randy Hoppert, I ask that we never forget those on that wall that have done so prior to this,” Boudreaux said.
Those who would like to donate to Deputy Hoppert’s family can visit the Deputy Sheriff’s Association’s donation page.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Detective Randy Hoppert remembered as husband, father, hero
Reporting by Steve Pastis, Visalia Times-Delta / Visalia Times-Delta
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
