Ex-CHP Officer Shot, Killed in Melee with San Bernardino County Deputies
APPLE VALLEY – San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies shot and killed a former California Highway Patrol officer on Monday after he was firing on ground patrol units and at a helicopter.
Frances Murphy Rose III, 42, of Apple Valley was killed by deputies’ return fire in a February 2 incident that drew a response after initial reports of shots being fired early Monday night in the 9000 block of Buena Vista, located in an unincorporated section of Apple Valley.
While Detective Patty Ruiz and Sergeant John Gaffney, both of the Sheriff’s Homicide Division, are continuing the investigation, early reports drew the quick response of sheriff’s deputies, including the sheriff’s desert helicopter division.
Having been dispatched to the residence, which is known as Juniper Flats, Rose began firing at deputies in the helicopter and ground patrol units, according to reports. Deputies on the ground returned fire, according to reports, “and the suspect was struck.”
Paramedic personnel responding to the location pronounced Rose dead at the scene. According to sheriff’s deputies reports, Rose worked for the CHP between 2009 and 2013. Reports stated that Rose graduated from the CHP academy in 2009.
Rose had been assigned to the Barstow station, located less than an hour from the shooting site.
Nearby residents and responding deputies were not injured during the incident. There was no report on how many rounds of gunfire had been discharged. Investigators also did not disclose why Rose began firing shots.
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