Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Jerry Ortiz was shot and killed after knocking on a door during an investigation in the 12200 block of 223rd Street in Hawaiian Gardens.
Deputy Ortiz had gone to an apartment complex in the city of Hawaiian Gardens to question a woman about a shooting that had taken place the previous day. As he spoke to the woman at the door of the apartment, the suspect in the previous day's shooting appeared and shot him in the head. The man then fled into an apartment three doors away. Deputies found him hiding in a bathtub three hours later.
The suspect, who was on parole and had prior arrests for convictions for assault with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest, burglary, as well as for gun and drug crimes, was charged with first-degree murder and faces the death penalty. In April 2007 the suspect was found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to death.
Six months prior to this incident, Deputy Ortiz's brother-in-law, Corrections Officer Manuel A. Gonzalez, of the California Department of Corrections, was stabbed to death by a gang member inmate at California Institution for Men in Chino.
Deputy Ortiz had served with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for 15 years and was assigned to the Anti-Gang Unit.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, two sons, and mother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-D85FF285- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Ortiz gave the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the Los Angeles community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Ortiz.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Jerry Ortiz is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In CA, 974 of 1,837 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53% of this state's fallen. That is 53 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, 58 of 120 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 48.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Jerry Ortiz's cause is highlighted.
How Jerry Ortiz Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Jerry Ortiz is highlighted in Jun.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Jerry Ortiz was killed by gun; unknown type.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
119 officers from Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
