Man held after Central California deputy shot in ‘execution’

HUGHSON, Stanislaus County — A man suspected of shooting a sheriff’s deputy twice in the head Sunday was arrested hours after the killing when he tried to steal a woman’s purse, authorities said.

Deputy Dennis Wallace was shot at point-blank range as he checked on a report of a suspicious van parked near a fishing access spot outside the city of Hughson, about 10 miles southeast of Modesto, Sheriff Adam Christianson said.

“We believe that Deputy Wallace was killed outside of the car, and we know for a fact that the gun used in this crime was in direct contact with his head when the trigger was pulled twice,” Christianson said at a news conference.

While on the run, Machado committed an armed robbery in Lindsay (Tulare County), about 150 miles south of where the shooting occurred, Christianson said.

The Lindsay officers didn’t recognize Machado as the suspect in Wallace’s killing until after he was taken into custody, when they identified him through tattoos and a photograph issued by Stanislaus County.

The slaying comes after a deputy in Modoc County was killed while responding to a call about a disturbance, two Palm Springs police officers were shot to death during a domestic disturbance call, and a Los Angeles County sheriff’s sergeant was shot and killed while answering a burglary call.