Moonlighting Common Among Cops

It's no secret that being a police officer is not a financially lucrative job. Most cops do their job because they want to make their communities safe, not for the hope of a huge payday. For that reason, many cops supplement their incomes by working off-duty as security at offices, bars or other events.

One of those cops was Detective Donald Young, a 12-year veteran in Denver, Colorado.  On May 7th, 2005, he headed out to the Solano Ocampo Hall with another cop, John Bishop, to work security at a baptismal celebration. It was supposed to be a simple detail.  It would become anything but.

Gunfire Erupts As The Party Ends

In what can only be described as an ambush, witnesses say a man approached Young and Bishop from behind and began firing. Young was struck in the back. By 1:33am, he was dead. It is unclear what precipitated the execution, but a newspaper reported that Young and his partner had thrown four people out of the hall, apparently for trying to crash the party. Cops do not know whether that incident prompted the execution. With the help of witnesses at the scene, cops developed a composite of the man they believe is responsible for the murder of Detective Donald Young. They were hoping to put a name to that face.

Detective Young was not just another cop. He was the recipient of the Medal of Honor Award, Distinguished Service Cross Award, ten Official Commendations and two Commendatory Letters.

Cops Identify The Alleged Gunman, Locate Car

Cops descended on the crime scene in full force and within the first couple of days, they  named a suspect. They have charged Raul Gomez-Garcia with the shooting. In fact, according to the Rocky Mountain News, Garcia confessed to his girlfriend that he committed the shootings.

Now, reports say the white Dodge Neon police have been looking for in connection with the brutal murder of Donald Young has been located in Southern California. As the dragnet for suspect Raul Gomez-Garcia stretched into its third day, investigators continued to work around the clock, striving to make an arrest.

Manhunt Ends in Mexico

Police have aggressively been hunting Raul Gomez-Garcia, since May 7, 2005, when police say he shot two Denver Police officers, killing one. They have been working around the clock to get him behind bars. On June 5, 2005, the manhunt ended in Mexico.

Police tracked Gomez-Garcia to the city of Culiacan on the western coast of Mexico. U.S. Marshals and Mexican authorities located and arrested Gomez-Garcia without incident. Not only is the suspect behind bars, but so are several of his family members. Police say they had been helping him while he was on the run.

Denver Police are on their way to Mexico. It is not known if Gomez-Garcia will be extradited.