Jun 20

Jun 20 'I am so sorry.' Mayor Steinberg responds to shooting death of young Sacramento officer

Keeping Sacramento safe, Giving back to the community

Remarks made by Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg at a press conference late Wednesday night announcing that Officer Tara O’Sullivan of the Sacramento Police Department had been fatally shot by a gunman while responding to a domestic violence call.

This is a horrible night for the City of Sacramento.

To Tara’s parents and family, and Tara’s fellow officers, I am so sorry. As a father of a 25 year daughter, I grieve with you. As Mayor of the city Tara was sworn to protect, we are heartbroken and we are here for all of you every step of the way.

Every day, in service to all of us in Sacramento, our police officers leave home knowing there is a possibility they will never return. Today that horrible possibility has become the devastating reality for Tara O’Sullivan, her family, her friends, her classmates and her fellow officers. It is now our horrible reality as a city family and a broader community.

It has been twenty years since our department has lost one of its own in the line of duty but our last two academy classes have each lost an officer in the line of duty. Both Natalie Corona and Tara O’Sullivan had bright futures ahead of them. They were committed to our communities, committed to protect and serve selflessly. They had big dreams and even bigger hearts.

Tara was a child development major from Sacramento State, she was committed to service. She was in the first graduating class of a groundbreaking program at Sacramento State, the Law Enforcement Candidate Scholars program, known as LECS – the first of its kind in the nation. The program emphasizes the importance of inclusion and cultural competence for future law enforcement leaders - of which Tara undoubtedly would have been one. She graduated from our December 2018 Sacramento ‪Police Academy‬ and was completing her training at just 26 years old.

Our thoughts are also with the officers tonight who were engaged with the incident that led to Tara’s tragic death, may they end this tragic evening in safety.

Tara’s death is not fair and it is not right. Tonight, I met Tara’s family and her academy classmates. Our grief pales in comparison to theirs. In Tara’s memory, we will support her family today and in the many many days ahead. And we will honor and support her classmates and all of the men and women who proudly wear Sacramento blue. They deserve that and much more.