Ricky Paul Del Fiorentino was a 48-year-old Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputy killed in the line of duty on March 19, 2014, in Cleone, California. A 26-year veteran of law enforcement, he was involved in a search for a suspect who had earlier abducted two people in Oregon and shot at a store owner near Leggett. Deputies located the suspect, identified as Ricardo Chaney, on a dirt road near MacKerricher State Park. As Del Fiorentino approached, Chaney ambushed him, firing multiple rounds and fatally wounding him before he could exit his vehicle.

A nearby Fort Bragg police officer exchanged gunfire with Chaney and inflicted a fatal wound on the suspect. Chaney’s earlier criminal actions that day and a history of criminal behavior were described as culminating in the deadly confrontation. The community and law enforcement mourned Del Fiorentino and honored him with tributes and memorials.

Does anyone have memories of Deputy Del Fiorentino’s service or information about the events leading up to the March 19, 2014, encounter?