Fresno County officer shot and killed by convicted felon

A Selma police officer was shot and killed Tuesday by a man who local authorities say is a known Bulldog gang member and convicted felon.

It's the first time a Selma officer has been killed in the line of duty.

The soon-to-be father was just 24 years old when he was gunned down while on patrol Tuesday afternoon, according to Fresno County sheriff's department officials.

The Fresno County law enforcement community is now asking California elected officials to change their approach to the state's criminal justice system - limiting the release of violent convicted felons.

What we know

Officer Gonzalo Carrasco was patrolling in the small Fresno County city shortly before noon when someone flagged down his patrol car in the 2600 block of Pine Street in Selma. The woman told Carrasco there was a suspicious person in a yard, authorities reported.

As the officer left his car, he was shot several times. He was rushed to Fresno's Community Regional Medical Center, where he later died.

Carrasco had been with the department for two years.

Nathaniel Dixon, 23 of Selma, was later found and arrested and a gun believed to have been used in the slaying was found in the area. The motive for the shooting is under investigation but may have been gang-related, new Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni said.

“I’m absolutely outraged. I am horrified right now,” Selma Police Chief Rudy Alcaraz said during a Tuesday press conference.

Carrasco was the son of farmworkers, and was part of the Reedley Police Department Explorer Program before he became a Selma police officer. He is survived by his parents, brother, sisters and girlfriend, who is currently pregnant with their child, according to authorities.

Dixon is expected in court Friday where he faces murder and gun charges. His bail was set at $1.2 million, but later denied because of probation violations.

'A warped system'

Dixon has a criminal record that included robbery, drug and gun possession charges. In March, Dixon was sentenced to five years in prison, but was released a few months later with time served in local jail.

Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp attributed the deadly shooting, in part, to the state's criminal justice system.

"We have two families that are suffering loss. The family of the slain officer, and the family of the shooter who will now be facing murder charges," she said. "If the prison system did an effective job of 'corrections and rehabilitation' this would not be the case."

She was also critical of Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California legislature's criminal justice reform. The district attorney said they have created a "warped system that allows active and violent criminals to receive arbitrary 'time credits'."

"This madness is creating more victims and, furthermore, it is not serving the people who are committing the crimes," Smittcamp added.

Newsom did not mince words with Smittcamp.

"The Fresno DA chose not to charge this suspect to the full extent of the law, which would have ensured that he spent decades in prison," a spokesperson for the governor's office stated in an email to Visalia Times-Delta.

At the time of his arrest, Dixon had two illegal loaded guns in his car, according to authorities. He lunged at an officer and tried to grab the officer’s firearm, and resisted arrest. He was also under a domestic violence restraining order and had recently failed on probation for a prior strike conviction — an armed robbery with a deadly weapon the year before.

Dixon was initially charged with 10 offenses, but accepted a plea agreement to two charges, which carried a five-year sentence. His release date was set for Aug. 23, five months after his original sentence. He was released in September and placed on probation as part of California's AB 109 law (prison realignment), sheriff's officials said.

“Jennifer and I join all the family, friends and colleagues mourning the tragic loss of Officer Carrasco, who devoted his life to protecting his community," Newsom stated on Wednesday. "His tremendous bravery, dedication and sacrifice will never be forgotten.”

The Fresno Deputy Sheriff’s Association is supporting the Selma Police Officer’s Association by establishing a memorial fund. Donations will be given to Carrasco’s family.

Contributions can be sent to:

• Fresno Deputy Sheriff’s Association, C/O Selma POA Memorial Fund, 1360 Van Ness Avenue, Fresno, CA 93721

Anyone with additional information about this case is asked to please contact Sheriff’s Detective Richard Antunez at (559) 600-8221 or Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-7867, www.valleycrimestoppers.org You will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Fresno County officer shot and killed