Officer Samuel Riveros - Baldwin Park Police Department - California

On 5/31/25, Police Officer Sam Riveros of the Baldwin Park Police Department (California) was shot and killed while responding to reports of gunfire at the 4200 block of Filhurst Avenue in Baldwin Park.

At 7:12 p.m., two officers arrived at the scene and immediately found one man unresponsive with a gunshot wound.  Just moments later, the two officers began taking gunfire from a suspect. During the shootout, one of the officers was injured after bullets hit his patrol vehicle.

Officer Riveros also responded to the shooting call to assist the officers. He ran into the hail of bullets, preventing the shooter from targeting the officers and the other community members in the neighborhood. Officer Riveros was transported to the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased. Investigators recovered a rifle and 60 spent shell casings at the scene.

The unresponsive male that the officers initially encountered, was shot and killed over a parking dispute.

The suspect was struck with non-life-threatening wounds. He was charged with two counts of murder with special circumstances, two counts of attempted murder, and a charge for possessing an assault weapon.

Officer Samuel Riveros served the Baldwin Park Police Department for nine years. He is survived by his mother, stepfather, two brothers, and a sister.

As part of our "Plaques for Heroes" campaign, engraved slate memorial plaques were sent to the Baldwin Park Police Department and to Riveros' family at no cost to honor his service and his sacrifice to the community of Baldwin Park, California. Our condolences to his family, his department and the community he served.