Small Town Pauses to Honor One of Its Own

SANTA PAULA —  The montage of photographs leaning against the headstone at the small community cemetery tells the story of a life cut short.

The hometown kid, Peter John Aguirre Jr. in grade school, two front teeth missing in action. The baseball and football snapshots, next to the 1969 announcement of his birth and the 1987 announcement of his high school graduation.

The photo of the young man with his wife, his eighth-grade sweetheart, when they married and later when their daughter Gabriela was born.

These are the memories folks and family in Santa Paula were holding onto Monday at the funeral for the 26-year-old sheriff’s deputy shot and killed Wednesday night.

“It’s very hard to look at,” said Geneva Montes, 75, as she gazed over the collection of photographs that spanned the life of a native son.

“Everyone in Santa Paula is affected. It’s a small town, everybody knows everybody.”

For family members, clad in black, wearing purple ribbons in honor of Peter Jr., the pain of their loss was evident as they grasped hands and hugged each other for support as they made their way into Sacred Heart Church in Ventura to pay a final tribute.

“We always acknowledged each other as brother,” said Leonard Mata, Aguirre’s best friend, who delivered a tearful eulogy. “From this day forward, I promise you that I will always be there for you, and wherever you go, I promise to go.”

His death left mainly questions, unanswered and difficult to comprehend. Yet the show of support by friends and hundreds of law enforcement officers, from as far away as Sonoma County, comforted family members.

“It’s wonderful to see a big family like the police showing such support,” said Oxnard resident Rose Cobos, a cousin who came to the memorial service with her 7-year-old niece. “It’s very heartwarming.”

For Eve Lucci, a friend of the family, the occasion was a somber reminder of how close law enforcement officers come to death when on duty.

“My family is all police officers,” Lucci, a Camarillo resident, said. “I think this is beyond tragedy. I don’t know if this could ever be stopped.”

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The route from the funeral Mass to the grave site in Santa Paula, through the citrus groves and avocado orchards, was lined with silent residents--youngsters on bikes, parents sitting in lawn chairs--many of whom know the Aguirre family. The family’s roots in this farming community go back at least 70 years.

Ralph and Hortencia Gomez have known the slain deputy’s grandparents since they were teenagers. Attending the funeral was too painful for the elderly couple.

“We wanted to pay our respects but I couldn’t bring myself to go to the funeral,” said Hortencia Gomez, 66, who stood outside the couple’s Santa Paula Road home as the funeral procession made its way to the graveyard. “That would have been too much.”

At the funeral, Santa Paula Police Cmdr. Bob Gonzales went through the receiving line hugging Aguirre’s mother and widow and offering his condolences.

“It’s a pretty small town here,” Gonzales said. “I got to see him grow up. I remember seeing him graduate. I would have loved to have had him on my department. It’s a shame that he was killed. He had a lot to offer.”

Sheriff Larry Carpenter recognized Aguirre’s roots in the community even before the deputy joined the department in 1994. A letter of recommendation he received for the young cadet, heralding him as “THE BEST EMPLOYEE I’VE EVER HAD,” was signed by Don Aguirre, Peter Jr.’s grandfather. Peter worked for years as a cashier in his grandfather’s store on Santa Paula’s Main Street.

In Santa Paula, where police officials don’t even remember the last time a local officer was killed, residents wondered why and how this could happen.

Johnnie Britton, a waitress at a popular diner, has lived in Santa Paula for 25 years and remembers Aguirre.

“It is a real loss to the community,” Britton said. “I knew who he was. Everybody comes through here at one time. He was really well-liked.”

Esther and Joe Marquez, owners of the Crystal Bakery on Main Street, went to Santa Paula High School with Peter’s father--the same school Peter Jr. attended. Joe Marquez delivered baked goods to Don Aguirre’s market down the street.

The Marquez family remembers customers coming in the day after Aguirre’s death, asking questions in disbelief.

“I guess everybody was in shock when we heard about it,” said Esther, a lifelong Santa Paula resident. “It’s nice to hear that so many people showed up at the funeral. That’s a real honor.”

“Something has to be done about this,” Joe Marquez said. “These people are just killing innocent policemen. To me it’s real hard to understand.”

Times staff writer Mack Reed and correspondent Scott Hadly contributed to this story.

‘I think this is beyond tragedy. I don’t know if this could ever be stopped.’

Eve Lucci, Friend of the family of Peter John Aguirre Jr.