SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Since the killing of Davis Police Officer Natalie Corona, there have been five officer-involved shootings in the Sacramento area.
On Monday, ones in Yuba County and Vacaville both left suspects dead and, in one case, a K9 officer injured. On Tuesday, one in Placer County left a suspect dead and another K9 officer injured. And on Thursday, ones in Elk Grove and Stockton left suspects injured.
These incidents not only came just days after Corona's death, but also just a few weeks after the death of Newman Police Cpl. Ronil Singh.
This seemingly increased number of officer-involved shootings has many in the area asking: What's going on?
"I am appalled," Law Enforcement Chaplain Mindi Russell told ABC10. "I am so hurt and so angry that the assault on our law enforcement is so common and so frequent."
Russell is the senior chaplain and Executive Director of Law Enforcement Chaplaincy Sacramento and has spent nearly 30 years helping first responders in the area deal with trauma and grief. She said when law enforcement officers see their colleagues killed in the line of duty, it's a reminder to them to stay vigilant.
"They have a hyper vigilance and an awareness that, unfortunately, people are out there that want to hurt them just because they wear a badge. So, they have to stay very hyper vigilant," Russell said.
Russell believes the frequency of officer-involved shootings would go down if attitudes about law enforcement changed.
"When we call, they're going to come. They need to now start trusting us, you know? It works both ways," she explained. "I think the community is also saying 'Enough. We've got to do something. This has got to stop.'"
For now, Russell said, the Sacramento area is experiencing a rough period, but something more needs to be done to stop it.
"I think it is a rough time. It just seems closer and tighter and too much and too many and just way too soon. We're not even grieving one before we're grieving another," she said. "It's like to keep a mourning band on all the time shouldn't happen."
Continue the conversation with Liz on Facebook.
________________________________________________________________
WATCH MORE: He helped her earn her badge: How a teacher remembers slain officer Natalie Corona