The suspect in the fatal shooting of a California police officer this week has been taken into custody after a widespread manhunt, the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department announced Friday.
Gustavo Perez Arriaga, 32, will be charged with homicide following the shooting death of Newman Cpl. Ronil Singh, 33, police said.
The suspect’s brother, Adrian Virgen, and co-worker, Erik Razo Quiroz, were also arrested Thursday on “accessory after the fact” for allegedly trying to protect Arriaga.
Singh was shot early Wednesday morning after he pulled a truck over as part of a DUI investigation.
{mosads}Singh’s brother thanked law enforcement for their efforts during a news conference on Friday.
“I’d like to thank you from the bottom of my heart,” he said.
The shooting garnered national attention after it was revealed that Arriaga was suspected of being in the U.S. illegally.
Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson noted on Thursday that Singh legally immigrated from Fiji.
“This suspect, unlike Ron — who immigrated to this country lawfully and legally to pursue his lifelong career of public safety, public service and being a police officer — this suspect is in our country illegally,” Christianson told reporters on Thursday. “He doesn’t belong here. He’s a criminal.”
President Trump also weighed in on the case, citing the shooting as another reason to build his proposed wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
“There is right now a full scale manhunt going on in California for an illegal immigrant accused of shooting and killing a police officer during a traffic stop. Time to get tough on Border Security. Build the Wall!” he tweeted Thursday.