Family remembers fallen Selma officer 2 years after line of duty death

REEDLEY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Family, friends and community members from Selma and Reedley gathered Friday night on the second anniversary of fallen Selma Police Officer Gonzalo Carrasco Jr.’s death.  

Officer Carrasco was killed in the line of duty on Jan. 31, 2023. Officers said he was responding to a call about a suspicious person when he was ambushed. He died after being shot and killed. 

Friday’s mass in his hometown of Reedley marked another year of milestones passed and memories made without Carrasco.

“I really got goosebumps when I entered the building and seeing everybody, mostly faces that I don’t know. But obviously they know him. I was proud of that he’s actually my cousin,” Carrasco’s cousin Thalia Salgado said. 

The mass marking another year of milestones, of memories and more time without Carrasco.

“You know when you’re with someone, you never know when your last day is going to be,” Carrasco’s cousin Jonathan Souza said. “I think if he was here and I would just tell him that I’m proud of what he’s accomplished. You know, being that he was still young.” 

Gonzalo was only 24 years old when he was killed. He even was expecting a baby, one he never got to meet. 

Unlike the rest of the family living in Reedley, Salgado and her daughter Aalyia live in Selma, where he worked. They said he would sometimes stop by when he was on patrol. Now when they see an officer, it hurts.  

“There’s days where I’ll see a cop and I’ll kind of forget that he’s not here, and I’ll think it’s him and I’ll try to see if it was him, but then I’m just like, a reminder that he’s not here,” she said.

As more time goes on and one year without him turns into two, Salgado said she is just honored people still want to honor him and that his life will be remembered. 

“I love him. I’m very proud of him. I’ll always be proud of him. He’s a legend,” she said.

This loss still hurts for members of the Selma Police Department. Officer Carrasco is the only Selma police officer to die in the line of duty.