Phillip Jesse Campas, a 35-year-old deputy with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office and a former U.S. Marine, was fatally shot on July 25, 2021, in Wasco, California. He had responded to a SWAT call involving a barricaded suspect, Jose Manuel Ramirez Jr., who had allegedly taken his wife and two sons hostage and was armed with an AK-47 rifle and a handgun.

Campas, who was off duty at the time, entered the home intending to rescue the hostages. During the standoff Ramirez reportedly killed his wife and two sons and then opened fire on responding officers; Campas was struck and later died at a hospital. Ramirez was also killed during the standoff.

Did anyone in Wasco have contacts or information about the scene, the timeline of events that day, or Ramirez’s history that could help piece together what happened?