Funeral services are scheduled today for Downey
police Officer Ricardo Galvez, who was gunned down during an apparent botched
robbery while sitting in his parked car near the Downey police station.
Galvez, 29, was fatally shot about 11 p.m. Nov. 18 while sitting in his
BMW 335, clad in street clothes, in a public civic center parking lot adjacent
to the Downey police station in the 11000 block of Brookshire Avenue. The five-
year department veteran died at the scene.
The funeral service will be held at 9 a.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady
of the Angels, 555 W. Temple St., in downtown Los Angeles. A gravesite salute,
with full police honors, will be held immediately following the funeral service
at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, 3888 Workman Mill Road.
Investigators said Galvez was returning to the police station after
taking part in a canine training session when he was killed. Three people have
been arrested and charged with murder, with police and prosecutors saying the
trio were looking to rob someone and were apparently unaware that Galvez was a
police officer.
Steven Knott, 18, and Jeremy Anthony Alvarez, 21, are being held without
bail, while Abel Diaz, who turned 17 on Friday but is being prosecuted as an
adult, is being held in lieu of $1 million bail. In addition to murder, all
three are facing a single count of second-degree robbery, along with gang and
gun allegations. The murder charge includes the special circumstance allegation
of murder during an attempted robbery.
Knott and Alvarez face a possible death sentence. Diaz, because of his
age, faces a maximum of life in prison without parole. They are all due in
court for arraignment Dec. 17.
Alvarez, the alleged getaway driver, was taken into custody following a
police pursuit that ended in the 1000 block of Carob Way in Montebello soon
after the shooting. He was caught by officers as he tried to run through the
backyards of some homes, authorities said.
Authorities said the other two suspects were seen fleeing into a nearby
home and taken into custody by members of a sheriff’s special weapons team
after warrants were obtained.
Downey police spokesman Lt. Mark McDaniel said Galvez is survived by his
mother, a brother and two sisters. Galvez was in the U.S. Marine Corps prior
to becoming a police officer, serving two tours of duty, one in Iraq, one in
Afghanistan.
Eds: Funeral set for 9 a.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels,
555 W. Temple St. Downey police Lt. Mark McDaniel can be reached at (562) 861-
0771.