Selma police officer killed in line of duty identified. He was a father-to-be

Authorities identified Gonzalo Carrasco Jr. on Wednesday as the officer killed on the job in a Selma neighborhood, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said.

Carrasco was from Reedley, the son of farmworkers and a father-to-be, according to the sheriff’s office.

The two-year veteran of Selma Police Department was flagged down by a resident who asked the officer to speak to a man in the front yard of a home on Pine Street about 11:45 a.m. Tuesday west of Highway 99 in Fresno County, according to police.

Carrasco got out of his car and approached the man, who fired several rounds at the officer, the sheriff’s office said in a Wednesday update.

Carrasco later died at Community Regional Medical Center, police said. He did not fire his service weapon.

The sheriff’s office said police arrested a suspect, Nathaniel Dixon, 23, not far away at Fig and Sequoia streets near Eric White Elementary.

Law enforcement was familiar with the suspect, who has a criminal background including charges for firearms possession and robbery.

Dixon served time in prison and was on probation as part of California’s AB 109 law, often called prison realignment.

The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office said the suspect was sentenced in March 2022 to serve 5 years, 4 months in prison, but was released by September 2022 and placed on Post Release Community Supervision.

The killing was the first ever in the history of Selma Police Department, which was formed in 1893, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Fresno County Deputy Sheriff’s Association set up a memorial fund for the officer’s family on behalf of the Selma Police Officer’s Association, according to deputies.

Contributions can be sent to Fresno Deputy Sheriff’s Association, C/O Selma POA Memorial Fund, 1360 Van Ness Ave., Fresno, CA 93721.