Vallejo Police Department, California
End of Watch: Wednesday, April 12, 2000
Age: 50
Tour of Duty: 21 years
Badge Number: 371
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: April 12, 2000
Weapon Used: Handgun; .357 caliber
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Police Officer Jeffrey Azuar was shot and killed after he and another officer attempted to serve a failure to appear warrant on a suspect.
The officers found the suspect hiding in a garage of the residence. The suspect began physically resisting arrest and then pulled out a handgun and shot Officer Azuar in the head. A third officer who had arrived on-scene returned fire and seriously wounded the 34-year-old suspect.
Officer Azuar was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The offender was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole on May 7th, 2004.
Officer Azuar was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Vallejo Police Department for 21 years. He is survived by his daughter. In 2020 a local street in Vallejo was renamed Jeffrey Azuar Drive.
He had been a canine handler since 1993. His first canine, Rondo, was stabbed to death in the line of duty in 1997.