6 Jan 2019

Fiji-born police officer killed in California

12:20 pm on 6 January 2019

A funeral has been held in the United States for a Fiji-born police officer shot to death in California.

No caption

Photo: Twitter / @StanSheriff

The officer, 33-year-old Corporal Ronil Singh, had stopped a suspected drink driver when he was killed, sparking a manhunt.

Mr Singh was born in Fiji and emigrated to the US to become a police officer.

He had a young son.

Gustavo Perez Arriaga is accused of killing 33-year-old Ronil Singh in the town of Newman early on Wednesday.

He had gang links and was trying to flee to Mexico, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson said.

President Trump has cited the killing as a justification for his proposed wall on the border with Mexico.

Mr Arriaga was arrested in the city of Bakersfield.

Two others - Gustavo Arriaga's brother Adrian Virgen and his work colleague Erik Razo Quiroz - were also detained for allegedly acting as accomplices.

- RNZ / BBC