Deputy William R. Hunter, 26, and Lieutenant Leonard B. Estes, 61, were ambushed and fatally wounded on, July 26, 2001, as they entered a cabin in the Inskip area of Paradise ridge in California and were met with a barrage of gunfire. Hunter died instantly. Estes returned fire and fatally wounded the suspect, Richard Gerald Bracklow, 46, before succumbing to his wounds. Hunter took the original report of an assault and theft of weapons at the Magalia substation and asked for cover. Estes, en route to an internal affairs interview, was nearby and told dispatch he would back up Hunter. He reportedly pulled to the side and put on his bulletproof vest. Hunter interviewed Bob Duffey, 89, regarding a heated argument he had with Bracklow, over rent money owed to Duffey. When Estes arrived the officers proceeded to Bracklow’s residence. Estes and Hunter had radioed dispatchers shortly after 6 p.m. that they would “attempt to make contact with the subject.” It was their last transmission. They entered the dimly-lit cabin but barely made it past the threshold. Bracklow shot Hunter, who was in the lead, three times in the head. Hunter was unable to get off a shot. Estes emptied six rounds from his personal .45-caliber handgun, striking Bracklow three times in the chest area and grazing the suspect’s shoulder with a fourth shot. Lieutenant Estes’ weapon was found with the seventh round remaining and had been jammed when it was struck by one of the suspect’s rounds.
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