On Emotional Day, Search Continues for Suspect in Death of Newman Corporal

The manhunt continued late Thursday afternoon for the man suspected of gunning down a Newman Police Department corporal.

Stanislaus County detectives searched a farmhouse about 12 miles south of Merced on Thursday afternoon in connection with the shooting death of Cpl. Ronil Singh.

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Singh, 33, was shot and killed at 1 a.m. Wednesday after pulling over a suspected drunk driver at Merced Street and Eucalyptus Avenue.

Christianson said investigators have identified the suspect, and that he was in the country illegally.

“He doesn’t belong here; he is a criminal,” the sheriff said.

Less than two hours after after the press 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.

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He said Singh exchanged gunfire with the suspect but is not believed to have hit him.

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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 from his home 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.

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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.

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