SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ Investigators believe the man suspected of killing Newman Police Cpl. Ronil "Ron" Singh is still in Stanislaus County, Sheriff Adam Christianson said at a news conference Thursday.
"We will find him, we will arrest him and we will bring him to justice," Christianson said.
Singh, 33, was shot and killed at 1 a.m. Wednesday after pulling over a suspected drunken driver at Merced Street and Eucalyptus Avenue.
He exchanged gunfire with the suspect but is not believed to have hit him.
While Christianson said investigators have identified the suspect, they will not release his name. He said the suspect is in the county illegally.
"He doesn't belong here; he is a criminal," Christianson said.
Less than two hours after the news conference, President Donald Trump Tweeted about the suspect's illegal immigration status.
"There is right now a full scale manhunt going on in California for an illegal immigrant accused of shooting and killing a police officer during a traffic stop. Time to get tough on Border Security. Build the Wall!" he tweeted.
An emotional Newman Police Chief Randy Richardson also spoke at the conference, focusing on Singh and what made him special.
He spoke through tears about Singh and the impact his death has had on the small department of 12 sworn officers. This is the first line-of-duty death for the Newman Police Department.
"You have to understand, this was not supposed to happen here," Richardson told a room full of media and community members at the Police Department. "I have been to too many of these funerals. I never thought I would ever have to do this. I do not want to be here today."
Richardson said Singh immigrated to the United States from Fiji, determined to be a police officer.
He commuted more than two and a half hours to the police academy in Yuba City, which he put himself through.
He worked as a reserve officer for the Merced County Sheriff's Office and as a cadet and animal control officer in Turlock before being hired by Newman in 2011.
"Anything he could do to get his foot in the door in law enforcement," Richardson said.
English was Singh's third language, the chief said. His thick accent made it difficult for him to communicate with dispatch, so he took speech classes.
"He truly loved what he did," Richardson said. "You've never seen a man smile more than him. I know that is said a lot in these things, but you ask anyone, he was never in a bad mood. He loved being a police officer, husband and father. He loved to hunt and fish and jet ski and ride his flyboard."
Singh is survived by his wife, Anamika, and their infant son.
"His 5-month-old, he will never hear talk, he will never see walk; he will never get to hold that little boy; hug his wife ... because a coward took his life," Richardson said.
Richardson said he relieved Singh early at 4 a.m. on Christmas Day so he could spend some time with his wife and newborn son at their home in northeast Modesto.
A picture posted on Facebook shows the family posing in front of their Christmas tree, Singh is wearing his uniform and he had dressed his narcotics K9 Sam in a Mrs. Claus outfit. Richardson said Sam was wearing that same outfit when he let her out of Singh's patrol car shortly after the shooting.
Richardson said Sam is now back home with Singh's family.
"I will not take another member of that family from them," Richardson said.
A memorial fund has been set up for the family.
