A veteran California police officer was shot and killed during an operational takedown on transnational drug trafficking organizations, authorities said.
Marysville Police Department Officer Osmar Rodarte, 25, was killed in a shootout during a drug bust earlier this week.
Multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in 20 search warrants in several California counties, including Yuba County, where the fatal shootout took place.
“Obviously, this tragedy has rocked our small community,” said Sheriff Wendell Anderson.
The gunman was also killed in the confrontation. Law enforcement seized hundreds of pounds of different drugs including meth and fentanyl.
“The young officer was part of a multi-agency action that was going after cartel drug trafficking in the area,” California State Assemblyman James Gallagher said.
“He was trying to snuff out the poison that has been brought into our communities by transnational gangs.”
