© 2026 ABC News

O'Sullivan was a member of Sacramento State's Law Enforcement Candidate Scholars' Program, which \"allows young men and women to go directly into the academy to serve,\" Sacramento State President Robert Nelsen said.

\"We lost a hero. We lost a leader,\" Nelsen said at a news conference on Thursday. \"We will never forget her... and we will aspire to be as good as she is.\"

\"We all hurt today,\" he said, overcome with emotion.

\"To Tara's parents and family, and Tara's fellow officers, I am so sorry,\" Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said in a statement released by the police department. \"As Mayor of the city she swore to protect, our city is heartbroken and we are here for you every step of the way.\"

\"PHOTO:
Rich Pedroncelli/AP
PHOTO: A law enforcement officer mans a barricade near a home after shooting of a Sacramento police officer, June 19, 2019, in Sacramento, Calif.
>

It had been 20 years since the department lost an officer in the line of duty. She's the 23rd officer killed this year from gunfire.

In January, 22-year-old Natalie Corona of the Davis Police Department was killed in an \"ambush\"-style attack responding to an accident. After sustaining multiple gunshot wounds at the scene, she died at a trauma center in Sacramento.

\"She was just an absolute star in the department and someone that pretty much every department member looked to as a close friend, a sister,\" Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel said at the time.

\"PHOTO:A
Rich Pedroncelli/AP
PHOTO:A Sacramento Police officer responds to the shooting of a fellow officer in Sacramento, Calif., June 19, 2019.
>

Sacramento City Council Rep. Angelique Ashby said there were seven women in O'Sullivan's graduating class and that more women may get shot as more risk their lives by joining the force.

O'Sullivan's death \"had nothing to do with her being a woman,\" Ashby said. \"It had to do with her being a hero.\"

During the standoff in which O'Sullivan was killed, five officers fired their duty weapons, said police. They have been placed on paid administrative leave, police said.

ABC News' Mark Osborne contributed to this report.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/US/sacramento-police-officer-gave-young-life-protecting-community/story?id=63828662","legacySlug":"/news/story/sacramento-police-officer-gave-young-life-protecting-community-63828662","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"21:18","publishDate":"06-20-2019","updatedTime":"13:28","updatedDate":"06-24-2019","socialImage":{"alt":"A man and woman watch at the crimes scene where a Sacramento police officer was shot, June 19, 2019, in Sacramento, Calif.","credit":"Rich Pedroncelli/AP","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/sacramento-oficer-shot-ap-ml-190620_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"6/20/2019 21:18:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":63828662,"headline":"26-year-old female police officer shot dead","mediaAssetTitle":"SACRAMENTO COP KILLED","description":"It had been 20 years since a Sacramento officer died in the line of duty.","duration":"3:54","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/06/190620_abc_officer_shot_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["133741861","133707237","133144263"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"June 10, 2026","headline":"NASA unveils Artemis III crew","section":"News","slug":"/video/133741861","id":"133741861","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: NASA unveils Artemis III crew","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: NASA unveils Artemis III crew","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"June 9, 2026","headline":"Flash flood threat as dangerous weather on the move","section":"News","slug":"/video/133707237","id":"133707237","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Flash flood threat as dangerous weather on the move","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260609_gma_zee_weather1_707_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Flash flood threat as dangerous weather on the move","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260609_gma_zee_weather1_707_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260609_gma_zee_weather1_707_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260609_gma_zee_weather1_707_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260609_gma_zee_weather1_707_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260609_gma_zee_weather1_707_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260609_gma_zee_weather1_707_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260609_gma_zee_weather1_707_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260609_gma_zee_weather1_707_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260609_gma_zee_weather1_707_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"May 20, 2026","headline":"Fashion mogul’s son arrested in father’s fatal fall","section":"News","slug":"/video/133144263","id":"133144263","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fashion mogul’s son arrested in father’s fatal fall","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260520_gma_ally_fall3_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fashion mogul’s son arrested in father’s fatal fall","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260520_gma_ally_fall3_732_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260520_gma_ally_fall3_732_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260520_gma_ally_fall3_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260520_gma_ally_fall3_732_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260520_gma_ally_fall3_732_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260520_gma_ally_fall3_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260520_gma_ally_fall3_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260520_gma_ally_fall3_732_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260520_gma_ally_fall3_732_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"26-year-old female police officer shot dead","description":"It had been 20 years since a Sacramento officer died in the line of duty.","duration":"3:54","uploadDate":"06-20-2019","publication":"06-20-2019","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/06/190620_abc_officer_shot_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/06/190620_abc_officer_shot_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/sacramento-police-officer-gave-young-life-protecting-community-63828662"}},"playlist":[{"id":"133749799","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133777519","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133748258","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133730535","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133712423","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133694181","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133688738","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133616358","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133616342","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133522899","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133584123","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133579397","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133482839","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133390157","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133415361","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133414032","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133380485","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133358298","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133350119","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133307515","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"26-year-old female police officer shot dead","pubTime":"17:18","pubDate":"06-20-2019","modTime":"09:28","modDate":"06-24-2019","taxonomyTags":"none","id":63828662,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"26-year-old female police officer shot dead","mediaAssetTitle":"SACRAMENTO COP KILLED","videoId":63828662,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/sacramento-police-officer-gave-young-life-protecting-community-63828662"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/63828662","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/63828662","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};