Singh, who was killed by an undocumented immigrant, remembered for his grit and determination.
At the emotional funeral held for the Fijian Indian American police officer Ronil Singh, who died in the line of duty on December 26, was hailed as an American hero.
At the service, which was held at the Modesto Church on Friday, mourners remembered his grit and determination.
“He stood so much for what is right in our world and yet unfortunately was taken too soon from us by what is wrong in our world,†Modesto police Officer Jeff Harmon said. “He probably more than anything else wanted to be home on Christmas night with his wife and his young son, but instead made a selfless choice to serve all of his community knowing that there are many more than just his own family that needed his protection that night.â€
Friends and colleagues remembered the 33-year-old officer as a hardworking young man. Singh’s promising career was short circuited in the early hours of December 26, when a gunman shot him to death. Singh had pulled over the suspected drunk driver Gustavo Arriaga Perez.
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Perez, who was in the country illegally, was arrested after a manhunt and identified. He has been charged with murder.
The case created a heated debate over California’s sanctuary law. President Trump called for a tougher security, citing the killing.
Singh, an immigrant from Fiji, came to California in 2003.
On Jan 4, at the funeral procession, his casket was draped in an American flag. The procession covered a distance of 25 miles from Modesto to the town of Newman. A steady stream of mourners was seen paying their last respect to the officer. Singh’s widow, Anamika, along with his five-month-old son, was at the funeral.
The procession then took Singh to his final place on earth at Lakewood Memorial Park in the town of Hughson. The Fijian ambassador to the United States, Naivakarurubalavu Solo Mara, called Singh a “Fiji-born American hero.â€