Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, California
End of Watch: Friday, June 7, 1968
Age: 36
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: 357
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: June 7, 1968
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Deputy Kenneth Royal was shot and killed while responding as a backup officer to a felony car stop.
Another officer had just stopped a vehicle that was suspected of being used in an armed robbery minutes earlier, and one of the suspects had fled into the woods. As other officers covered Deputy Royal, he approached the second suspect, who was still in the vehicle. The suspect began to exit the car and then suddenly pulled out a handgun and opened fire, fatally wounding Deputy Royal. Other officers on the scene returned fire and wounded the suspect.
The suspect was convicted of armed robbery and first-degree murder and sentenced to death on October 25, 1968. His sentence was later commuted to life. On December 2, 1973, he escaped from San Quentin Prison. Before being captured four days later in Pinole, California, he committed two armed robberies, kidnapped a family of four, and attempted to crash through a police roadblock. He was taken into custody after being shot and wounded by Contra Costa County Deputies.
Deputy Royal was survived by his wife and four children.
The Kenneth B. Royal Firing Range, located at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center, is named in memory of Officer Royal.