RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. — It has been one year since Deputy Mark Stasyuk made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
On September 17, 2018, Stasyuk was responding to a dispute between employees and a customer at the Pep Boys on Folsom Boulevard. Not long after deputies arrived, the customer, later identified as Anton Paris, 38, allegedly began shooting.
Stasyuk was killed almost instantly after he was shot in the back of the head. He was 27 years old.
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"This is a scar that the department and each of us will carry in our hearts for a lifetime," said Sgt. Tess Deterding from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.
One year later, Stasyuk's memory is being honored through a bench that sits outside the Pep Boys where he was killed.
"I think it's beautiful," said Rancho Cordova Resident Anna Goodwin. "I think it's special, reverent and I think it's very well done and classy."
A plaque is attached to the wooden bench, which gives the date of Stasyuk's end of watch and his badge number.
"It's hard to believe that it's already been a year," said Officer Sergy Litvinov with the Folsom Police Department. "[The bench] is a great reminder for his mom, especially. She visits the place quite often and it's going to be a nice place for her to sit and think of her son."
Anton Lemon Paris, 39, was arrested for the shooting. He will appear in court for his formal arraignment on December 13.
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