Officer in Northern California Shootout Dies

Officer Javier Bejar, one of the victims in Thursday's officer-involved shooting in Minkler, Calif., has died. The member of the Reedley (Calif.) Police Department was taken off life support about 5:30 a.m., the department announced.

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March 1, 2010

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Officer Javier Bejar, one of the victims in Thursday's officer-involved shooting in Minkler, Calif., has died. He was a member of the Reedley (Calif.) Police Department. Bejar was taken off life support about 5:30 a.m., the department announced.

Law enforcement officials on Thursday were trying to serve warrants to Minkler resident Ricky Liles, 51, related to a series of shooting crimes and arson fires. Liles opened fire, killing Fresno County sheriff's deputy Joel Wahlenmaier, critically injuring Bejar, and wounding Fresno County deputy Mark Harris before killing himself.

Bejar, 28, joined the Reedley Police Department in 2005 after serving in Kuwait and Iraq with the Marine Corps. Second-in-command of the department's Rapid Deployment Team, he was named Reedley PD's officer of the year in 2007 and was awarded a life-saving medal in 2009. Bejar is survived by his wife, whom he married in 2008.

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