In loving memory of Officer Ricky Del Fiorentino

Mendocino County

End of Watch: 3/19/2014

Mendocino County Sheriff Deputy, Ricky Del Fiorentino, 48, was shot and killed March 19th in a shootout following a police chase on U.S. Highway 1 near MacKerricher State Park.

The lone suspect apparently committed suicide, following a crime spree that spanned two states.

The suspect, identified as Ricardo Antonio Chaney of Oregon, was shot around noon March 19th, in the Cleone area, just north of Fort Bragg. Chaney had been on a crime spree that began in Oregon involving armed robbery, kidnapping and forcing victims into the trunk of a car.


Chaney had led deputies on a chase that exceeded 100 m.p.h. eventually eluding law enforcement.
During the ensuing manhunt, Deputy Del Fiorentino found Chaney’s vehicle on a dirt road. Chaney opened fire from an ambush position on Del Fiorentino’s car, which was found riddled with bullets. The 48-year-old deputy was pronounced dead at the scene.

Chaney was found dead nearby a short while later after a second shootout with a Fort Bragg police lieutenant who heard the initial gunfire and responded to the scene. He had a gunshot wound to his leg from the second shootout, which became fatal.

Del Fiorentino had served with the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office and Fort Bragg Police Department for a total 26 years.