A routine eviction notice service turned into a deadly multi-agency confrontation on Thursday, leaving a Tulare County Sheriff’s deputy and an armed suspect dead. The standoff concluded when law enforcement used an armored vehicle to “intentionally” run over the gunman.
The incident began at approximately 10:20 a.m. at the Porterville residence of David Morales, 59. According to Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux, Morales was lying in wait for deputies tasked with serving an eviction notice following 35 days of unpaid rent.
As deputies arrived, Morales—clad in camouflage and armed with an unregistered long rifle—opened fire. The initial volley struck Deputy Randy Hoppert, 35, a six-year veteran of the department and a former Navy corpsman.
Morales subsequently escaped the residence through a window and retreated into nearby brush. Despite an intensive search and multiple exchanges of gunfire with responding units, the suspect initially eluded capture, forcing the evacuation of four surrounding residential blocks.
The standoff lasted nearly eight hours, drawing in crisis negotiators, the California Highway Patrol, and SWAT teams from neighboring jurisdictions. By 6:00 p.m., as Morales continued to fire at law enforcement, a BearCat SWAT vehicle belonging to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office moved to neutralize the threat.
Sheriff Boudreaux confirmed in a press conference that the decision to strike Morales with the vehicle was deliberate.
“We intentionally ran him over,” Boudreaux stated. “Don’t shoot at cops. You shoot at cops, we’re gonna run you over.”
Morales was pronounced dead at the scene. While the suspect had 18 registered handguns, investigators noted the rifle used in the fatal shooting was unregistered. Morales had no prior criminal record, and a specific motive beyond the eviction remains under investigation.
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Deputy Hoppert was rushed to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds. Medical officials initially considered a medevac flight to a Fresno trauma center, but Hoppert’s condition was deemed too unstable for air transport.
Hoppert served as a Navy corpsman from 2010 to 2015 before joining the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office. He is survived by his wife and mother.
“Sheriff Boudreaux, and all of us at the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, are shocked and deeply saddened,” the department said in a statement.
The California Highway Patrol is expected to assist in the ongoing investigation into the shooting and the tactical use of the armored vehicle.
