Pomona man sentenced to life for 2018 slaying of police officer during barricade
POMONA, Calif. (KABC) -- A Pomona man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing one police officer and wounding another during a standoff at his apartment in 2018.
Isaias de Jesus Valencia refused to appear in court Monday as victims read emotional impact statements and the final sentencing was handed down. In addition to life in prison, he received another 280 years for additional counts associated with the March 2018 incident.
The incident started when Pomona police began pursuing a reckless driver, who crashed into a parked vehicle and fled on foot.
Valencia, 39 at the time, ran into his apartment building and barricaded himself inside a bedroom.
As officers tried to contact him, he began firing through the door with what neighbors described as multiple shots.
One officer, Alex Nguyen, was wounded.
When Officer Greggory Casillas, 30, of Upland, tried to help his injured partner, he was shot in the face and later died at a hospital. It took some 15 hours for Valencia to be taken into custody.
From 2018: Pomona officers escort son of slain colleague to school
Nguyen was among those delivering statements in court on Monday.
"My scars run deeper than my face," Nguyen said. "Not a day goes by that I don't see, feel or think about my partner."
"Since the night of the shooting I've lived with anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress."
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