Sheriff's Deputy Remembers Friend And Colleague, Fallen Officer Ronil Singh

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NEWMAN (CBS13) — A man living the American dream had that dream abruptly ended during a traffic stop in Newman Wednesday.

Stanislaus County Sheriff's Deputy Royjindar Singh is now left to describe his colleague and friend, 33-year-old Ronil Singh, a police officer with the Newman Police Department.

Gunned down during that traffic stop the morning after Christmas, Ronil Singh's vehicle remained on the scene surrounded by yellow evidence markers.

In a community with only 13 sworn officers in the police department and roughly 11,000 residents, a tragedy like this hits everyone hard.

"It's tough when it's somebody you know, and our county, even though it's a small county, we know a lot of the law-enforcement officers personally. It definitely makes a toll, an impact," Royjindar Singh said.

Deputy Royindar Singh knows the toll all too well. Just last month he lost his partner, deputy Antonio "Tony" Hinostroza when he was killed in a vehicle crash.

This has been a difficult time for the community. Officer Singh had been with the Newman Police Department since July 2011. He primarily worked in narcotics as a K-9 officer. Those who knew him said he was truly doing what he loved.