Procession salutes slain Riverside County Deputy Isaiah Cordero
A procession escorting the casket of a slain Riverside County sheriff’s motorcycle deputy drew large groups of people Friday morning, Jan. 6, along the 2-mile route to pay their respects.
Mourners and well-wishers watched from the sidewalk as the cavalcade drove through Riverside with fallen deputy Isaiah Cordero, who was shot to death last week after a traffic stop in Jurupa Valley.
Under a sunny sky, some have gathered at Harvest Christian Fellowship for the funeral of slain deputy Isaiah Cordero. pic.twitter.com/j83Lh4awfQ
— Monserrat Solis (@MonserratSolis_) January 6, 2023
Some gathered at Harvest Christian Fellowship early Friday for the funeral.
Riverside resident Mary Stenger, 72, stood across the street from the Arlington Avenue church, tears in her eyes.
“It was senseless,” she said of the fatal Dec. 29 shooting. “It could have been prevented. It’s really sad.”
The Patriot Guard Riders, a motorcycle group that honors first responders and veterans, also milled about near the church Friday morning.
Jeff Amend, 66, has been a member of the group since 2015, and said his comrades would stand near the entrance of the church, American flags in hand, when Cordero’s casket drives by.
“We do it to honor our veterans and law enforcement,” said Amend, who lives in Riverside. “These are the people who put their lives on the line every day.”
The Friday procession started at Acheson & Graham Mortuary and ended at Harvest.
About 40 people waited at the old Sears building on Arlington Avenue for the cavalcade to pass.
At least one woman held a sign thanking Cordero.
Riverside resident Raul Ariza, standing among the crowd outside the former Sears Friday, said he felt united with those around him.
The turnout, he added, “shows a lot of pride in the community, where we can come together as one.”
On Dec. 29, Cordero pulled over William Shae McKay — who had prior convictions — in a Jurupa Valley neighborhood. During the brief traffic stop, McKay opened fire on Cordero, who was rushed to Riverside Community Hospital and pronounced dead, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco reported.
McKay led authorities on a freeway chase to Norco, where he crashed and exchanged fire with officers. McKay died during the exchange, Bianco said.
Cordero, a graduate of Cajon High School in San Bernardino, started his career in 2014 as a correctional deputy, serving jails in Banning, Indio and Riverside. In 2018, he entered the sheriff’s academy, was promoted to deputy sheriff and assigned to the Jurupa Valley station in 2020. Cordero had been a motor officer for three months.
Squads from several other cities and counties joined the procession Friday, including officers from Hemet, Manhattan Beach, San Bernardino and Montclair.
The service is being livestreamed on the church’s website and on the county’s sheriff’s social media platforms, including Facebook and YouTube.