On August 25, 1985, Deputy Sheriff Jose Joe Cisneros of the Solano County Sheriff’s Department was killed while responding to a report of a suspicious van without license plates on a rural access road off Cherry Glen Road. The 40-year-old deputy had been en route to back up another officer on what was described as a van littering call when a male suspect armed with a shotgun confronted him. Despite attempts to de-escalate, the suspect shot Deputy Cisneros, who died at the scene. The suspects fled but were quickly apprehended after a high-speed chase involving multiple agencies.

Investigators later learned the van had been taken at gunpoint earlier that day in San Pablo, but that information was not relayed to officers in the field due to a shift change at dispatch. The department noted Deputy Cisneros had served 14 years and was remembered in a large funeral attended by hundreds of officers. His investigative work on a separate murder case was credited with preserving evidence that ultimately identified a suspect decades later.

Does anyone have memories of Deputy Cisneros or details about the investigation that have not been shared publicly?