SAN DIEGO - Grieving family members, law enforcement colleagues and political leaders gathered today to bid farewell to a "courageous, selfless" San Diego Police Department veteran killed last week in the line of duty.
Thousands of law enforcement personnel from around the state and nation crowded the chapel and grounds of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon in a show of somber respect for gang-enforcement Officer Jonathan "J.D." De Guzman, who died in a hail of bullets at age 43 during a pedestrian stop in Southcrest late on the night of July 28.
Despite De Guzman's ultimate sacrifice, the 16-year member of San Diego's police force "didn't become a hero last week," retired SDPD pastor Ben Harris told the mourners, among them Gov. Jerry Brown and state Attorney General Kamala Harris.
"He became a hero when he chose to live a life of safety and calmness and (when) he stepped forward into his place on the thin blue line, protecting the citizens of San Diego," Harris said.
Describing a meeting with the slain officer's family last weekend, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said he'd found it "easy to see how J.D. became the courageous, selfless man that we're honoring here today."
When De Guzman decided to seek a career in law enforcement, his loved ones thought he was "too nice" to be a police officer, the mayor told the crowd.
"It's what made J.D. the perfect officer -- because he was a nice guy, because he cared," he said.
Faulconer told the assembly that everyone would do well to "follow J.D.'s example."
"We must never stop caring," he said. "We're going to keep strengthening the bonds between police officers and our communities. We're going to keep forging pathways to opportunities so we can end the cycle of violence. And we're never going to stop helping each other, because J.D. never stopped helping us."
San Diego police Chief Shelley Zimmerman, who patted the slain officer's flag-draped coffin before addressing the crowd, praised De Guzman as a model member of her department and "a wonderful, caring mentor, a friend to all."
"J.D. wasn't just a good man -- he was a great man," Zimmerman said.
The chief described meeting De Guzman early on in his police career, when she was a lieutenant and both were assigned to the department's Mid-City Division. Though that area presents law enforcement with many challenges, including gang crime and a diverse population that speaks many languages, De Guzman from the beginning went about his duties with an "easygoing demeanor helped him excel in gaining rapport with everyone," Zimmerman said.
"Everybody like him," she told the gathering. "As he would approach you, he would flash his big smile, and positive energy was just all around him."
De Guzman was an exemplary lawman, in large part, because he "truly cared about everyone," Zimmerman said.
"J.D. was respectful, loving, passionate and empathetic," she said.
Several of the slain officer's rank-and-file colleagues praised De Guzman, a native of the Philippines who emigrated to San Diego when he was 20, as a consistently cheerful, generous and supportive colleague and a dedicated son and father to his own two children.
Fe De Guzman prompted a standing ovation with her tearful testament to her son, who always stopped to take a moment with her and her husband before leaving for work, "to pray, to share his love, his gratefulness for us, and to pray that he would come back home."
"This simple act was also our last moment with him," she said. "That night, he did not come back home. That makes us remember how precious life is."
De Guzman's teenage son, Jonathan Jr., lovingly spoke of his father as a man who had harbored some less-than-practical ambitions, including returning to his home country and running for governor there.
"His death motivates me to achieve my dreams and create a positive impact toward the world," the high school senior said, adding that he was "very pleased with the amount of people here today, because my father secretly wanted to be famous one day."
A motorcade of hundreds of law enforcement vehicles accompanied De Guzman's casket from Qualcomm Stadium to the East County church. Along the route, hundreds of spectators gathered to watch the procession, some waving American flags and signs bearing words of praise and respect.
De Guzman and his partner, Officer Wade Irwin, 32, came under fire moments after pulling over to talk to a man behaving suspiciously in a neighborhood just east of the intersection of Interstate 5 and state Route 15.
Five rounds struck De Guzman while he was still seated behind the wheel of his cruiser. Irwin suffered a serious but non-life-threatening wound.
The alleged assailant, 52-year-old ex-con Jesse Michael Gomez, was critically injured by Irwin's return fire and remains hospitalized.
On Tuesday, Gomez was arraigned at UCSD Medical Center on charges of murder, attempted murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm, and was ordered to remain in custody in lieu of $5 million bail. A special circumstance allegation of murder of a police officer makes Gomez eligible for the death penalty if he's convicted.
Authorities have disclosed no suspected motive for the deadly shooting.
The San Diego Police Officers Association is collecting money for De Guzman's family. Donations can be mailed to the San Diego Police Officers Association, 8388 Vickers St., San Diego, CA 92111, or made online at sdpoa.org/about-widows-orphans-fund/.
SDPOA officials asked contributors to include "Officer Jonathan De Guzman" in the notes of the online donation or on the memo lines of their checks.
Donors can also text "DeGuzman" to 41444 for a response with a link to the SDPOA charity's page.
Contributions to aid in Irwin's recovery expenses can be made at gofundme.com/irwinfamilyfund.
