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Slain Davis Officer Natalie Corona Was Arbuckle Native Who Followed In Father's Footsteps

ARBUCKLE (CBS13) – Officer Natalie Corona had only been patrolling on her own for a couple of weeks before she was shot and killed in Davis on Thursday.

She was 22 years old.

Friday, Governor Gavin Newsom released a statement on Corona's death.

"We join all Californians in mourning the loss of this courageous officer and extend our deepest condolences to Officer Corona's family, friends, and coworkers," Newsom said.

A native of the Colusa County community of Arbuckle, Corona graduated from Pierce High School in 2014 and was homecoming queen her senior year. Her mother has been an elementary school teacher in the city for a long time, a district official said.

Following in her father's footsteps, Corona then pursued a career in law enforcement. In 2016, she joined the Davis Police Department as a community service officer.

"Officer Corona had an incredible work ethic, was well liked by her colleagues, and was an asset to the Davis Police Department," said Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel. "Her death is a devastating loss for all of us."

She graduated from Sacramento Police Academy in July 2018 and was sworn in as an officer with Davis police. After completing the field training program just a couple of weeks ago, she started patrolling on her own.

Thursday night, after responding to a car crash near Downtown Davis, Officer Corona was shot. She was rushed to the UC Davis Medical Center but later died.

"This incident is a sad reminder of the risks that our public safety employees take every day on our community's behalf," said Davis Mayor Brett Lee in a statement.

The suspect was found dead inside a Davis home. He had apparently shot himself, police said.

His name has not been released at this point.

A candlelight vigil is planned in Downtown Davis on Saturday at 6 p.m. to honor Officer Corona.

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