Puerto Rico Police Department, Puerto Rico
End of Watch: Sunday, March 24, 1996
Age: 20
Tour of Duty: 1 year
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: March 24, 1996
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life in prison
Officer Ivan Fontanez-Bruno was shot and killed after being identified as a police officer while off duty. He and another officer were carjacked and abducted by unknown suspects.
At approximately 11:30pm, Cadet Fontanez-Bruno and a fellow cadet were at Las Croabas beachfront in Fajardo when three armed men announced a holdup. As the armed robbers took the cadets' wallets they noticed both were police cadets. They were forced into the cadets' vehicle and drove off towards Highway 3, where they shot Cadet Fontanez-Bruno. The other cadet was left unharmed in an abandoned spot down the road. All three men were apprehended and convicted of felony-murder rule. They served life in prison.
Cadet Fontanez-Bruno join the Puerto Rico Police Department, and was a member of Group 18, Academy 198 for almost a year. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Police Officer.