Officer Ricardo “Ricky” Galvez, 29, of the Downey Police Department was shot and killed on 11/18/15 while parked in his own personal BMW 335 vehicle in a public parking lot next to the Downey Police Department, located at 10911 Brookshire Ave., when two people ran up and at least one opened fire around 11 p.m. Officer Galvez just completed K9 training and was nearing the end of his shift. He was in plain clothes and the victim of a botched robbery. A fellow Downey officer who was beginning his patrol shift heard the gunfire and pursued the suspects in a Nissan sedan speeding away from the parking lot. The pursuit ended near Washington Boulevard and Carob Way in Montebello, where multiple people were detained. Three young men who fled the shooting were arrested at 11:15 in Montebello after a high-speed police chase on surface streets and were being held for the murder. The car’s driver, Jeremy Alvarez ,a 21-year-old Hispanic, was taken into custody immediately, after he tried to flee through residential backyards. Steven Knott, 18, along with 16 year-old Abel Diaz, both Hispanic, were taken into custody shortly after both fled into a home where they were eventually taken into custody and they were being held without bail. Officer Galvez was a five-year veteran of the Police Department who started in March of 2010 and was a U.S. Marine who served two tours during Operation Enduring Freedom and deployed overseas, once to Iraq and once to Afghanistan. During the service of Officer Galvez, eight K9 handlers removed leashes from their dogs and tied the leashes to Galvez’s casket. In lieu of flowers the Downey Police Officer’s Association has set up an account for the family at Downey Federal Credit Union, Officer Ricardo Galvez Fund, 8237 3rd St., Downey, CA 90241, 562-862-8141.
Jeremy Alvarez, 21, and Steven Knott, 18, are brothers and have been charged with murder in the death of Officer Ricardo Galvez and are being held without bail and face the death penalty. 16-year- old Abel Diaz does not face the death penalty because of his age because he is a minor. The trio’s arraignment was then rescheduled for 12/17/15 at the Norwalk Courthouse. If convicted Alvarez and Knott face the death penalty. The trio are also charged with one count of special circumstance murder and one count of attempted second-degree robbery. Abel Diaz,16, was charged as an adult in connection with the killing and because of his age faces up to life in state prison and his bail has been set at $1 million.
On 12/20/19, Diaz and his attorneys made a deal with prosecutors before his court appearance agreeing to admit to the murder and attempted robbery of Galvez and the robbery of Edward Garcia in exchange for the plaintiff’s withdrawal from the pursuit of the matter in criminal court. A judge will decide on 1/4/20 whether Diaz will serve his time in juvenile detention or state prison.
Jeremy Anthony Alvarez, 26, was sentenced to 30 years to life in state prison for his guilty plea to second-degree murder and attempted robbery stemming from Galvez’s shooting death and sentenced on 9/25/20. Two half-brothers from Montebello were sentenced. Superior Court Judge Roger Ito ordered Steven Knott, 23, to serve a 50-year-to-life state prison term in connection with his March 16 guilty plea to first-degree murder and attempted robbery charges in the Nov.18, 2015, slaying of Officer Ricardo Galvez. Co-defendant Jeremy Anthony Alvarez, 26, was sentenced to 30 years to life in state prison for his guilty plea to second-degree murder and attempted robbery stemming from Galvez’s shooting death. The pair additionally pleaded guilty to an attempted murder in Montebello on October 18, 2015, along with the takeover robbery of two victims at a Bellflower cell phone store and a street robbery in Paramount shortly before Galvez’s murder. They also admitted gun and gang allegations, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
