California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, California
End of Watch: Monday, January 10, 2005
Age: 43
Tour of Duty: 17 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Stabbed
Date of Incident: January 10, 2005
Weapon Used: Edged weapon; Shank
Suspect Info: Charged with capital murder
Corrections Officer Manuel Gonzalez was stabbed to death by an inmate while working in Sycamore Hall of the California Institution for Men in Chino, California.
The suspect, who was appointed as a spokesman for a portion of the prison population, had been permitted to leave his cell to speak with other inmates about their complaints. A short time later, a correctional officer observed the inmate attacking Officer Gonzalez and ordered him to get down. The suspect then walked away as Officer Gonzalez fell to the ground. Officer Gonzalez, who was not wearing a vest, had been stabbed with a shank. He succumbed to his wounds while being transported to a local hospital.
The inmate, believed to be a gang member, was kept in custody, transferred to a different facility, and charged with capital murder. He was serving a 75 year sentence for the attempted murder of a Los Angeles police officer in 2002. Two other inmates were also transferred as a result of the incident.
Six months later, Officer Gonzalez's brother-in-law, Deputy Sheriff Jerry Ortiz of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, was shot and killed while conducting a gang related investigation in an apartment complex.
Officer Gonzalez had served with the California Department of Corrections for 17 years. He is survived by his wife and six children. He is buried in Resurrection Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum, Montebello, California.