Daryle Black

 
 Agency: Long Beach Police Department
    
 State: California
  
 End of Watch:04/30/2000
    
 Title/Rank: Officer
    
 Age: 33
  
 Cause of Death: Gunshot
  
 Information: While patrolling a "high concentration gang" area in a residential neighborhood in Long Beach on Saturday, April 29, two Long Beach police officers were shot with automatic weapons as a car drove past them. Police Chief Jerome Lance stated, "The officers were not making an arrest, serving a warrant, or answering another call at the time they were hit. They were just driving down the street." Officer Daryle W. Black, 33, was shot twice in the head and died the following day at a nearby hospital. Officer Rick Delfin, 41, was shot once in the head and leg. The shots came from the passenger side as the patrol car was stopped. Neither officer was able to return fire. As the shots were being fired, Delfin, although seriously injured, immediately sped out of the area. The investigation revealed that approximately 15 AK-47 rounds were fired at the officers. A resident of the area, a 45-year-old pregnant woman, was also struck several times by bullets that penetrated the walls of her home. She and her 7-month-old fetus survived. During a gang sweep the previous night, officers were confronted with an armed subject, who was shot and killed. Lance stated that officers Black and Delfin were ambushed and were possibly the victims of a retaliatory attack by gang members. On the morning of the memorial service held for Black, Ramon "Gumby" Sandoval Jr., 18, of Compton, was charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder in the shooting. Four other suspects were also charged.