A Kern County BearCat armored vehicle that deputies were using to search for the suspect in the shooting death of a Tulare County deputy serving an eviction order in Porterville ran over the man, killing him.
Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux announced the killing of David Morales, 59, bringing to an end a search that began mid-morning on Thursday, April 9.
“Sheriff Boudreaux, and all of us at the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, are shocked and deeply saddened by today’s tragic events. We ask that you keep our Deputy’s grieving family in your prayers,” the sheriff’s office posted on its Facebook page.
The incident started at 10:20 a.m. when the Tulare County deputies showed up in the area of Newcomb Street and Grand Avenue in Porterville to serve that eviction on Morales. That’s when authorities say Morales opened fire on them, striking Deputy Randy Hoppert.
Hoppert was rushed to a hospital, where he died from his injuries. He was a six-year veteran of the force and a Navy corpsman who served from 2010 to 2015. He was 35 years old.
After the shooting, Morales was able to escape through a window. Dressed in camouflage and armed with a long rifled, he hid in the brush and eluded officers. The sheriff announced he had been run over by the SWAT vehicle just before 6 p.m.
Tulare County deputy killed in Porterville shooting ID’d
The Tulare County Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed Thursday morning while he and other deputies attempted to serve an eviction notice at a home in Porterville was identified as Detective Randy Hoppert, who joined the force in 2020.
Sheriff Mike Boudreaux speaking to reporters just before 6 p.m. said the fallen officer’s body had been taken to the coroner’s office and that his wife and mother were present and said their last regards.
The sheriff asked for privacy for grieving family members who he said were having trouble at this time even “standing on their own two feet.” Hoppert had served in the Navy from 2010 to 2015 before he began his career in law enforcement.
Late into the afternoon, authorities continued their search for and had isolated the shooting suspect, who the sheriff earlier in they day had identified as David Morales, 59.
They emptied four blocks in the neighborhood where the eviction was to be served and where officers believe he was hiding in the brush. Many of the residents from those homes were taking shelter at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Porterville.
Boudreaux said the suspect had been able to leave the house he was in through a window. Dressed in camouflage and armed with a long rifle, he was able to hide in the brush, he said.
Boudreaux said there were no estimates for how many rounds the suspect fired in his encounter with officers. He said Morales has no criminal activity or criminal record. The investigation also shows that in January 2026, the Porterville police responded to the house that Morales was in, but it’s unclear what the call was about, except that it was not criminal, he said.
The sheriff also revealed that the suspect had 18 registered firearms. Those were all handguns, which was “off,” the sheriff said, “because he’s shooting with rifles.”
“It was a very simple eviction to where was going be ordered from the home. That’s the most peculiar of it all. He wasn’t facing any criminal charges, and if he is found alive today, he will be facing criminal charges in regards to homicide,” Boudreaux said.
The sheriff’s office was being assisted by several law enforcement agencies including Porterville, Visalia, Delano and Tulare police departments, sheriff’s departments from Kern and Fresno counties, and the California Highway Patrol and its helicopter.
Two tactical vehicles known as BearCats, were dispatched to the area, one of out Kern County and the other out of Visalia.
Officers in the Visalia BearCat attempted to get gas through a window. The suspect confronted those officers and fired into the windshield, Boudreaux said.
Tulare County deputy killed in Porterville shooting
A visit from Tulare County Sheriff’s deputies to serve an eviction notice in Portersville turned deadly, claiming the life of a deputy who was shot and killed when someone opened fire.
The incident all started late morning on Thursday, April 9 in the area of Newcomb Street and Grand Avenue.
The shooting is the second to happen since February in the small community about 45 minutes southeast of Visalia.
Authorities confirmed the deputy died at 11:57 a.m.
Just hours after the shooting began, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux called the killing “senseless” at a news conference. He identified a suspect and said the man had used a high-powered rifle. He said SWAT teams went door to door to ask people to remain sheltered in place as law enforcement combed the area in search of the suspect who “evidently (was) hopping from house to house.”
The fallen deputy, a detective, leaves behind a wife who is four months pregnant, Boudreaux said. He said he met with the deputy’s wife and mother at Sierra View Medical Center and that “there is no consoling this family at this point.”
Officers were forming an honorable escort for the fallen officer from the hospital to the coroner’s office.
Boudreaux identified the shooting suspect as David Morales, born in 1966, and said only one shooter was involved.
“We’re saddened by the loss of our officer,” the sheriff said and added the deputy’s name is not yet being released.
The sheriff’s office urged residents to remain cautious while the investigation continues.
The Porterville Unified School District announced to parents it had reduced its lockdown “secure” at its Westfield, Sequoia, and Monache campuses.
Original story
Porterville police responded to a shooting Thursday morning that started when someone opened fire on Tulare County Sheriff’s Office deputies serving an eviction notice in the area of Newcomb Street and Grand Avenue.
The shooting prompted law enforcement to block off areas in that neighborhood and ask people to avoid the 1700 block of West Brian Avenue, authorities said.
The sheriff’s office said, “Right now, Deputies are heading to the scene, where the suspect is outstanding and shots are still being fired.”Witnesses told Fox 26 News that they saw a man with a rifle and dressed in camouflage, and told the station shots were still being fired at law enforcement.
Police could be heard in radio scanner traffic say they were using a drone to search for the suspect.
In a Facebook post on its page just after 11 a.m., police asked people to avoid the West Brian Avenue block “due to an ongoing investigation. We appreciate your patience and cooperation.”
The Porterville Unified School District placed Westfield, Sequoia, and Monache schools on lockdown as a precaution, local media reported.
Authorities requested SWAT assistance and the deployment of a BearCat armored vehicle as officers continued efforts to contain the situation, scanner traffic indicates.
Porterville is 45 minutes southeast of Visalia, just west of Sequoia National Park.
At least five law enforcement agencies sent officers to the scene to assist the sheriff’s office. Included are Porterville, Visalia, Delano and Tulare police departments and the California Highway Patrol and its helicopter.
This is second law enforcement shooting reported out of Porterville since February. In that other incident, a deputy with the Tulare County Sheriff’s team that conducts outreach and enforcement related to unhoused people fatally shot a man on Feb. 24. The team had encountered the man on a private property the day before on the northeast side of the Tule River near the Plano Bridge but he ran off when they tried to talk to him.
On the day of the shooting, the team returned to try to talk to him. During a confrontation in which the man swung a stick and struck the deputy, the deputy fired their weapon. The man died at the scene.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Deputy killed in Porterville shooting ID’d. BearCat runs over shooter
Reporting by Jenny Espino, Ron Holman and Elizabeth Roberts, Visalia Times-Delta / Visalia Times-Delta
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
