When the news broke last week about a shooting that led to the death of one San Luis Obispo Police Department detective and injured another, community members and law enforcement officers throughout the county were devastated.
“It’s one of those things where we look at our jobs and we think, ‘That could have been me,'” Grover Beach Police Cmdr. Bryan Millard said.
Grover Beach police and other allied agencies wanted to do whatever they could to help San Luis Obispo police mourn the death of their fellow officer and friend. Using mutual aid agreements that allow agencies across the county to work outside of their jurisdictions—the same agreements that were used to increase staffing levels during SLO’s protests of police brutality in 2020—county departments worked together to cover for SLOPD in the wake of the shooting, keeping 24-hour watch of the body and taking calls for service in the city.
“It was all about supporting the family and supporting the agency,” Millard said.
On May 10, six SLO police officers served a search warrant at Edward “Eddie” Zamora Giron II’s apartment on Camellia Court in SLO, as part of an investigation into a series of recent commercial burglaries.
When officers forced open Giron’s door at around 5 p.m., officials said he “was lying in wait” inside with a gun and opened fire. During the exchange, Giron shot and killed SLO Police Detective Luca Benedetti, 37, and injured Detective Steve Orozco before turning the gun on himself.
It’s tradition for law enforcement personnel to stay with the body of a fallen officer 24/7 until he’s laid to rest, and Millard said several Grover Beach officers worked overtime and, in some cases, over night to stand watch outside Benedetti’s funeral home. The memorial service is scheduled to start at the SLO Performing Arts Center on the Cal Poly campus at 10 a.m. on May 20.
In a small department like SLO’s, Millard said everyone knows everyone, and coworkers quickly become like family. That closeness is part of what makes the work here worthwhile, he said, but it also makes it all the more heartbreaking when tragedy strikes. Thanks to increased coverage in SLO from the SLO County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies, SLO police officers were able to take some time off immediately after the shooting
“It’s important because we want officers to be at their best and be focused on their jobs,” Millard said, “and they need time to deal with the loss.”
At a press conference the day after the shooting, then acting SLO Police Chief Brian Amaroso described Benedetti, a 12-year veteran of local law enforcement, as “a dedicated officer, a talented detective, a proud member of the SLO Regional Swat Team, and most importantly, a loving husband and father.”
Orozco, who was shot multiple times, is expected to make a full recovery.
Amaroso also thanked law enforcement agencies throughout the county for their support. Not only is the SLO County Sheriff’s Office conducting an investigation into the shooting in partnership with the SLO County District Attorney’s Office, it increased staffing levels and handled calls for service in the city immediately after the incident.
“The San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office, along with allied law enforcement agencies throughout the county, will be responding to calls for service in the city during the coming days so that members of the San Luis Obispo Police Department can grieve and work through this tragedy,” Amaroso said at the press conference.
Tony Cipolla, a public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office, didn’t have many details on the specific staffing levels or costs related to covering for the SLO Police Department. But he said the Sheriff’s Office and other agencies took calls for service in the city from the evening of May 10 until the morning of May 13.
“An unspeakable tragedy had just occurred,” Cipolla wrote in an email to New Times. “We were able to provide assistance in their time of need, which allowed officers the time to grieve. It was simply the right thing to do.” Δ
This article appears in Pride 2021.
It is good to see our law enforcement community working together to protect and serve the people of the Central Coast. I know that our brave blue heroes appreciated the huge outpouring of support after the murder of SLO City Police Officer Luca Benedetti. Our community raised almost $600,000 for his widow and children!
It is time to stop the BLM-inspuired attacks on local law enforcement, the reckless rhetoric of these rioters has inspired people like Edward Zamora Guillon to unleash unprovoked attacks on our brave blue heroes, and finally the good people of SLO have decidedly taken the position that the BLM tomfoolery is just nonsense.
Our community will be healthier and safer as a result,
Blue Lives Matter!
How frightening it is to see thousands of police lining the streets for any reason. The whole idea of police saluting themselves with giant flags flying over highway intersections from firetrucks gives me the creeps. And please stop desecrating the flag. It’s red and white stripes, with white stars on a blue background.
The whacky Alt. Left liberals cannot stand that so many SLO citizens provided an outpouring of support for murdered local police officer Luca Benedetti, and it just shows how few people actually subscribe to their BLM-inspired madness.
Sadly, a local couple who are on the Cal Poly faculty, posted on social media a notice which told students that officers would be in SLO. The post was from either ethnic studies Chair Jenell Navarro or her husband, professor Jose Navarro, a member of the Cal Poly faculty. Their post illustrates why Ethnic Studies curriculum is considered to be a joke, and these two perfectly illustrate why Tianna Arrata and her BLM-inspired hatred should be seen as a root cause of why Edward Zamora Guillon murdered our brave hero, Luca Benedetti.
Unlike the whacky Alt. Left, I reject cancel culture, NO MATTER HOW STUPID OR NONSENSICAL the opinion. Although I think this Cal Poly faculty couple deeply embarrassed themselves with their leftist, anti- police idiocy, I advocate that we just simply use this to illustrate how far out of the mainstream they are. I would encourage thinking Cal Poly students to consider boycotting their course, and it is people like this who represent the real danger to our culture. Officer Benedetti was simply doing his job, and no reasonable person can deny that Edward Zamora Guillon is a despicable cop killer, and there can be NO justifying his behavior on any level.
Locals have renamed our SLO Mayor as ‘Hiding Harmon’, and I think it is very appropriate that she not be present at any ceremonies honoring murdered hero Luca Benedetti. ‘Hiding Harmon’s BLM-inspired rhetoric contributed to an attitude of hatred towards local law enforcement, and she has to be held accountable for her choices and behavior. She and Tianna Arrata were both in on the shutdown of Highway 101, and now their side is criticizing the local law enforcement in our community to support Officer Benedetti, I say their behavior is despicable.
I call on all decent people to reject the hatred of the whacky, far-left liberals and support law enforcement and the rule-of-law. These types are the same people who support the Hamas terrorists as they attack the Israeli people, and their embracing of BLM, Antifa, Hamas, ‘Wokeness’ and ‘Cancel Culture’ means that reasonable people disavow their nonsensical lunacy, moderates and conservatives should simply expose this idiocy for what it is.
Blue Lives Matter