Deputy Joel Brian Wahlenmaier, 48, of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office was killed on February 25, 2010, in Minkler, California while assisting the California Fire Marshal’s Office in serving a warrant on a suspected arsonist. The suspect opened fire as officers approached a mobile home, fatally wounding Wahlenmaier and wounding another Fresno deputy. A responding Reedley police officer, Javier Bejar, was critically wounded and later died of his injuries.

The standoff that followed lasted several hours; the suspect was found dead inside the home and investigators concluded the suspect had acted alone. Wahlenmaier had served 12 years with the Sheriff’s Office and worked in patrol, Search and Rescue, and as a homicide detective; he was remembered as a loving husband and devoted father.

Does anyone have memories or details about Deputy Wahlenmaier’s service or the community response that day?