Celebration of life for slain Marysville Officer Osmar Rodarte set for April 8
WHEATLAND — A celebration of life will be held next week to honor Marysville Police Officer Osmar Rodarte, who was killed during a shootout while serving a search warrant in Olivehurst at the end of March.
The Yuba County Sheriff's Department said the ceremony will be open to the public and will start at 10 a.m. on April 8 at Hard Rock Live in Wheatland.
A procession will follow the celebration to escort and honor Officer Rodarte to a family-only gathering where he will be laid to rest, the sheriff's office said.
Officer Rodarte was fatally shot while serving a search warrant at an address on Kestral Court in Olivehurst as part of a multi-year investigation into a transnational drug trafficking operation. The search warrant was one of 20 served that same day across multiple counties.
Rick David Oliver, who the district attorney said was a "lower-level drug dealer" targeted by the search warrant and the man accused of ambushing officers and shooting Rodarte, was killed in the exchange of gunfire.
The Yuba Sutter Narcotic and Gang Enforcement Task Force, which partnered with the United States Drug Enforcement Agency, has led the investigation into the transnational drug trafficking organization for years.