The Modoc County Sheriff’s Office has released the identity of a Modoc County Deputy who was fatally shot Wednesday morning while responding to a call south of Alturas.
The fallen Deputy was identified as 31 year-old Jack Hopkins. Deputy Hopkins had worked for the Modoc Sheriff’s Office since 2015 as a sworn Deputy.
“Modoc County Sheriff’s Office is overwhelmed with the outpouring of support and generosity for all of the Sheriff’s Office staff,” Modoc Sheriff Mike Poindexter said in a brief statement. “Please continue to keep our law enforcement community and first responders in your prayers and respect the family’s and law enforcement’s privacy.”
The Modoc Sheriff’s Office also released details surrounding the incident which occurred at about 10:30 a.m., Wednesday on a rural parcel located approximately eight miles south of Alturas.
According to the Sheriff, Deputy Hopkins was dispatched to a family disturbance and had entered the property to investigate the call when he confronted the main suspect. According to a preliminary investigation, Deputy Hopkins was shot by the suspect and tragically sustained fatal wounds.
The suspect fled the scene in his vehicle and was intercepted on a nearby road by Sheriff Mike Poindexter, who was also responding to the disturbance call. Sheriff Poindexter was fired upon by the suspect and an exchange of gunfire ensued. Sheriff Poindexter was able to wound the suspect, who was later taken into custody.
After the exchange of gunfire, it was determined by responding units that Deputy Hopkins was killed instantly in the encounter with the suspect.
Sheriff Poindexter sustained minor wounds during the encounter with the suspect but immediately returned to duty.
The suspect, identified by the Modoc Sheriff’s Office as 47 year-old Alturas resident Jack Lee Breiner, sustained a gunshot wound, was treated at the scene and later transported to a medical center in Redding where he received further treatment for his injuries. Mr. Breiner is expected to recover from his injuries.
The officer-involved shooting and fatal death of Deputy Hopkins resulted in a massive response and assistance efforts by a number of law enforcement agencies from the region, including County Sheriff’s Offices from: Butte, Lassen, Siskiyou, Shasta and Tehama; as well as Alturas Police Department; Redding Police Department; California Department of Justice; United States Forest Service; Bureau of Land Management; California Highway Patrol (Northern Division and Alturas and Susanville Area offices); California Department of Forestry (CAL FIRE); and local fire and emergency medical service providers. Assistance was offered from numerous agencies in the state, including the Los Angeles Police Department.
The criminal investigation for the murder of Deputy Hopkins and the attempted murder of Sheriff Poindexter is being handled by the Butte County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Lassen County Sheriff Dean Growdon.
The CHP is handling the administrative investigation, which is routinely conducted in officer-involved shooting investigations, which focuses on the use of force from a policy and procedures perspective.
Undersheriff Tex Dowdy is coordinating the many investigative efforts underway by MCSO and assisting agencies.
Deputy Hopkins had previously worked for the Alturas Police Department and is survived by a large, loving family and his dog, Bandit. Deputy Hopkins had five siblings and was raised in the small community of Montague, in Siskiyou County.
According to Sheriff Mike Poindexter, “The Modoc County Sheriff’s Office and the entire law enforcement community of our region and state grieves the irrevocable loss of Deputy Hopkins. I am grateful for the extraordinary allied-agency assistance we have received and we are thankful for the countless expressions of support we have received in the aftermath of Jack’s tragic death. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Deputy Hopkins, his family, his co-workers, his many friends and to all those impacted by this tragic and senseless loss of a dedicated law enforcement professional and friend.”
A memorial service is being planned but the date, time, and location have not been finalized.
The case is still under investigation and anyone with information about this case is urged to contact the MCSO Emergency Communications Center at (530) 233-4416. Updates about the incident may also be obtained by calling the MCSO Information Line at (530) 233-4488.
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