Rookie officer killed in Calif.

Associated Press

DAVIS, Calif.

Natalie Corona was a rising star in her police department with a sparkling smile and a huge heart who had followed in her father’s footsteps and became an officer, fulfilling a lifelong dream just a few months ago when her dad pinned the badge on her uniform.

On Friday, her father and a stunned community mourned the 22-year-old who was shot and killed on duty while responding to a multivehicle crash in the small college town of Davis, Calif.

“She’s the cop that any community would want,” said Lt. Paul Doroshov, a spokesman for the Davis Police Department. “Everybody who met her liked her.”

The shooter opened fire as Corona was investigating a three-car crash in the city west of Sacramento, a college town that is home to the University of California, Davis, where there has not been a fatal police shooting in nearly 60 years.

The suspect, who has not been identified, was later found dead inside a home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a short standoff with officers, the Davis Police Department said Friday.

Police have not determined what prompted the attack, which occurred in a residential neighborhood up the street from a park that hosts a weekend farmers market. Residents placed flowers at a growing memorial outside the police department Friday, where flags flew at half-staff.

Corona’s colleagues, family and friends mourned a vibrant life that was cut short.

“She was the best of us,” said Davis officer Mike Yu, after placing a “Blue Lives Matter” flag at the crime scene, about a mile from the police station.