Crime

Deputy Killed After Responding to Shots Fired Scene of Man Murdering His 2 Sons and Their Mother

Kern County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Phillip Campas was killed Wednesday

Published on July 27, 2021 04:18 PM

Five people, including a sheriff's deputy, were killed during an hours-long standoff at a California home.

On Sunday afternoon, Kern County authorities responded to a 911 call reporting an armed man with a restraining order showing up to a Wasco home. During the call, dispatchers heard screams and shots fired, Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said during a press conference Monday.

A woman who fled the home told responding officers that at least two other people were still inside.

The suspect then barricaded himself inside the home and a five-hour-long standoff ensued. During the standoff, two Kern County deputies — Phillip Campas, 35, and Dizander Guerrero — were shot.

At one point, the suspect climbed onto the home's roof armed with an AK-47. He was then shot and killed.

Three other people — a woman, 42, and two males, 24 and 17 — were found dead inside the home.

According to Youngblood, the two male victims were the suspect's sons. The woman was their mother.

The county coroner office identified the victims as 42-year-old Viviana Ruiz Ramirez, 24-year-old Jose Manuel Ramirez III and 17-year-old Angel Manuel Ramirez. The suspect was identified as 41-year-old Jose Manuel Ramirez Jr., KGET reports.

Two adult females and two female children were able to escape the home unharmed, according to Youngblood.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Campas later succumbed to his injuries. A memorial fund has been set up to help support his family.

Campas was a five-year veteran of the Kern County Sheriff's Office. Before that, he served as a United States Marine, according to the fundraiser. He leaves behind his wife and three children, ages 6, 9 and 13.

"The Campas family will be in need of support as they grieve their tragic loss and begin to move forward after adjusting to the loss of their beloved husband and father," the fundraiser sates.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.