Tommy De La Rosa
Agency patch
Officer

Tommy De La Rosa

Fullerton Police Department — Fullerton, CA
Felonious
End of Watch June 21, 1990
Age 43
Tour of Duty 10 yrs
Badge 671
The Vigil Panel 136 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Tommy De La Rosa was shot and killed after being ambushed by drug suspects in Downey, California. Despite being mortally wounded, Officer De La Rosa returned fire and killed one of the suspects. The three remaining suspects were all apprehended and convicted of Officer De La Rosa's murder. All three were sentenced to life without parole. Officer De La Rosa had served with the Fullerton Police Department for 10 years.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife and four children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-92A824B8
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.
Officer De La Rosa gave the Fullerton Police Department 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Fullerton community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer De La Rosa.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Fullerton, Orange County, CA
Platform Identity fpd.orange.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 21, 1990
Tour of Duty 10 yrs
Age 43
Badge Number 671
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Officer Tommy De La Rosa 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 Fullerton Police Department, 2 of 2 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Fullerton Police Department
2
of 2 officers
100% Felonious
CA — Statewide
974
of 1,837 officers
53% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Tommy De La Rosa's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Tommy De La Rosa Compares

Age at Death
43
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
10
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Tommy De La Rosa is highlighted in Jun.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Tommy De La Rosa was killed by gun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Others Who Wore This Badge

1 officer from Fullerton Police Department are honored on badge.nw.