Sergeant Gary W. Wolfley, a 30-year-old officer with the Rialto Police Department, tragically lost his life on March 3, 1986, while responding to a disturbance at a local gas station in Rialto, California. Upon arriving at the scene, Sergeant Wolfley encountered two men standing near a gas pump. When he approached them, one of the men, Dennis Mayfield, fled on foot. Sergeant Wolfley pursued Mayfield, leading to a struggle behind the gas station.
During the altercation, Mayfield managed to gain control of Sergeant Wolfley's service revolver and fatally shot him. This incident marked the first line-of-duty death in the history of the Rialto Police Department.
Following the shooting, Mayfield continued his violent spree by firing at another responding officer, shattering the windshield of the patrol car and causing minor injuries to the officer. Mayfield then broke into a nearby house, taking a resident hostage and shooting him in the leg. The hostage managed to escape, and law enforcement from multiple agencies, including Rialto, Fontana, and San Bernardino, surrounded the house. After a tense standoff that lasted several hours, Mayfield surrendered to the police.
Dennis Mayfield was subsequently arrested and charged with the murder of Sergeant Wolfley. He was convicted and sentenced to death for his actions. Another individual, Howard Bell, who was present at the gas station during the initial encounter, was also taken into custody and later charged as an accessory to the crime.
The death of Sergeant Wolfley had a profound impact on the community and his fellow officers. His wife, Candette Wolfley, who was with him on a ride-along during the incident, later became an officer with the Fontana Police Department. The case of Sergeant Wolfley's murder remains a significant and somber chapter in the history of the Rialto Police Department, highlighting the dangers law enforcement officers face in the line of duty.
