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Police officer shot, killed in Selma

Officers from various departments responded to Selma, Calif. on Monday, Jan. 31, after a police officer was shot.
Fresno County Sheriff's Office
Officers from various departments responded to Selma, Calif. on Tuesday, Jan. 31, after a police officer was shot.

SELMA, Calif. — An officer with the Selma Police Department died Tuesday after being shot while on duty — it's the first on-duty death of an officer in the department's history.

The officer was identified as Gonzalo Carrasco Jr., 24. Carrasco began is career with the Selma Police Department in May 2021, according to the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.

Selma police officer Gonzalo Carrasco Jr.
Fresno County Sheriff's Office
Selma police officer Gonzalo Carrasco Jr.

Carrasco was shot several times after he showed up to a home where a resident reported a man holding a gun. The alleged shooter was identified as Nathaniel Dixon, 23, of Selma.

Dixon reportedly fled the scene while armed after the shooting. Dixon was arrested just after 12 p.m. after multiple police departments responded and a school was placed on lockdown.

The sheriff's office says Dixon is known to authorities due to his criminal history.

Dixon is scheduled to appear in court later this week and will face a charge of murder, among others.

Carrasco was initially transported to Community Regional Medical Center in downtown Fresno for surgery, but later died from the shooting injuries.

Tuesday evening, he was transported in a long procession from the hospital, through Highway 99 to the coroner's office.

Authorities said Carrasco was a son of farmworker parents and leaves behind a brother, sisters and a girlfriend who was expecting a child.

Carrasco became a sworn peace officer after graduating from the Explorer Program at the Reedley Police Department.

A memorial fund was set up to help Carrasco's family after his killing.

This story was updated Feb. 1 at 2:56 p.m.

Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado is KVPR's News Director. Prior to joining the station's news department in 2022, he was a reporter for PBS NewsHour and The Fresno Bee.