Members of the Victorville Sheriff’s Station were among many who attended the California Peace Officer’s Memorial in Sacramento on May 4.
Gov. Gavin Newsom joined state and local law enforcement officers and community members at the annual California Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony near the State Capitol.
During the ceremony, the names of 12 recently fallen officers were added to the California Peace Officers’ Memorial, including three from San Bernardino County.
Deputy Hector Cuevas, Jr.
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy Hector Cuevas, Jr., who served out of the Victorville station, was among those honored during the ceremony.
Deputy Cuevas was killed in a crash while pursuing a suspect through the city in March 2025, according to the Daily Press.
Cuevas was a six-year veteran of the department and had been assigned to the Victorville station for about three years, according to sheriff’s officials. He was most recently assigned to the station’s gang enforcement team.
Victorville Sheriff’s personnel took to Facebook to say, “As we gather in remembrance, we carry Deputy Hector Cuevas Jr. legacy with us, his service, his sacrifice, and the impact he made on everyone around him will never be forgotten. We stand together in his honor.”
Detective Joshua R. Kelley-Eklund
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Detective Joshua R. Kelley-Eklund, who lived in Apple Valley, was also honored at the ceremony.
Cuevas was a six-year veteran of the department and had been assigned to the Victorville station for about three years, according to sheriff’s officials. He was most recently assigned to the station’s gang enforcement team.
Detective Kelley-Eklund was among three Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies killed during an explosion on July 18, 2025, according to the Daily Press.
Kelley-Eklund, a father of seven, was killed along with detectives Victor Lemus and William Osborn when an explosive device they were handling at a sheriff’s facility detonated, sheriff’s officials stated.
In 2003, Joshua Raymond Kelley-Eklund was among 36 graduating seniors from Apple Valley Christian School, where he served as the school’s boys varsity volleyball team captain, the Daily Press reported.
Deputy Andrew Nunez
On October 27, 2025, Deputy Nunez was shot while responding to a domestic violence call in Rancho Cucamonga.
He was immediately transported to the hospital, where despite lifesaving efforts, he died from his injuries, according state officials.
Deputy Nunez, 28, was a six-year veteran with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
Nunez is survived by his wife, their 2-year-old daughter, their unborn child, his mother and four siblings.
Other fallen officers honored at the ceremony, with their End of Watch (EOW) date, included:
An everlasting legacy
State officials said the officers honored represent the very best of California as they ran toward danger on behalf of people they didn’t know.
“We recognize their sacrifice and the loved ones who carry that loss with them every single day,” state officials said. “Their legacy is lasting — in the lives they saved, the communities they protected and the example they set for all of us.”
‘Walk of Honor’
The memorial ceremony included a “Walk of Honor” for surviving family members from the west steps of the Capitol to the memorial monument for the Enrollment Ceremony, where the names of newly enrolled officers were formally added to the Memorial Monument.
This solemn ceremony incorporated many law enforcement traditions, including a riderless horse presentation, the folding of the U.S. flag, the release of doves, a 21-gun salute and the playing of Taps.
Newsom ordered flags to be flown at half-staff over the State Capitol and Capitol Annex Swing Space.
For more information on the ceremony and the fallen officers, visit https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/05/04/governor-newsom-honors-californias-fallen-peace-officer-heroes/
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Peace Officers’ Memorial honors High Desert, San Bernardino County fallen
Reporting by Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
