SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn is reflecting on the loss of Officer Tara O'Sullivan. It is his department's first death in the line of duty in 20 years since Officer William Bean Jr. was shot and killed during a traffic stop in 1999.
O'Sullivan, 26, died at UC Davis Medical Center hours after a gunman, 45-year-old Adel Ramos, opened fire on her and other officers. The man who allegedly shot and killed O'Sullivan was taken into custody shortly before 2 a.m. Thursday, police officials confirmed.
Around 6 p.m. Wednesday, several officers were on a domestic disturbance call along the 200 block of Redwood Avenue in north Sacramento. O'Sullivan was helping a woman collect her belongings and leave a home when she was shot, Sacramento Police Sgt. Vance Chandler said during a press release.
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Hahn was out of the country when O'Sullivan lost her life. He said he took the first flight home.
"This is where I need to be when we lose one of our own," Hahn said. "I met with the family. As you might imagine, the family is trying to come to grips with their worst nightmare, our department's worst nightmare and, quite frankly, our community's worst nightmare."
Hahn said he spent time with O'Sullivan about two weeks ago.
"She was always the one with the most energy. She was always smiling," he said. "There are some people who do their job regardless of what profession it is, that just seem like a perfect fit and are extremely excited to do that. That was her."
He had no way of knowing this young hero would lose her life responding to a domestic disturbance call. Some have questioned why it took officers over 40 minutes to rescue Sullivan after she was shot.
Hahn said he didn't get to hear the radio traffic, but he said there are officers agonizing over whether they could they have done something more to help O'Sullivan.
"That was one of their partners that was down. I can tell you this, if somebody knew of something different at the time, I'm sure they would have done it," he said. "I guarantee there would have been people who would have rushed into that backyard regardless of those rounds had it not been for leaders or others not allowing them to be among those injured."
Hahn said it's a miracle that more people weren't injured. He said that's due in large part to training and skill.
"Under the most trying of circumstances, people did the best they could," he said. "I know the people that put on that badge. I know the people that wear that uniform, and I can guarantee they would have done whatever they could to get her out of that yard."