RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. – Deputy Isaiah Cordero was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Jurupa Valley Thursday. He would still be alive if a San Bernardino County judge had sentenced the accused shooter in 2021 instead of reducing his bail, Sheriff Chad Bianco of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said
“We would not be here today if the judge had done her job,” Bianco said during a press conference Thursday evening. The sheriff identified the suspect in the deputy’s homicide as William Shae McKay, 44, of San Bernardino County, KTLA reported.
“This terrible tragedy should’ve been prevented by the legal system,” Bianco emphasized. “McKay has an extensive, violent past and was convicted of his third strike in November 2021. That case involved kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon. Instead of sentencing him to 25 years to life, which should’ve happened, the judge lowered his bail, allowing him to be released.”
Bianco said the same judge astonishingly released the career criminal yet again after he was re-arrested for failing to appear at his sentencing along with additional charges.
Although Bianco harshly criticized the judge, he chose not to further identify her when asked during the news conference. “I’m not going to release that name … it’s a San Bernardino County Judge,” he said.
Cordero, 32, was conducting a traffic stop about 2 p.m. on Golden West Avenue when he was killed. The suspect produced a gun and shot Cordero as he approached the vehicle, the sheriff said.
