Solidarity, Grace: Procession To Murrieta For Slain Deputy Calhoun

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Hundreds of residents lined the streets Tuesday afternoon as a procession of first responders accompanied the flag-draped casket of Riverside County Sheriff Deputy Darnell Calhoun from the coroner's office in Perris to the Murrieta Valley Funeral Home on Washington Avenue in Murrieta.

The large procession began at 2 p.m., traveled south on Interstate 215 to Clinton Keith Road through Murrieta to Nutmeg Street, then southwest to the funeral home on Washington Avenue.

The final stop — where dozens of officers, deputies and firefighters stood at attention and saluted as a Riverside County Sheriff's Honor Guard moved the casket inside the funeral home — is across the street from Calhoun's Family Texas Barbecue on Washington Avenue, where a large memorial has been erected. The restaurant is owned by the deputy's family.

A Riverside County Sheriff helicopter hovered at a low altitude overhead, while several media helicopters buzzed higher above.

The grim expressions shown in the above photos offer a glimpse into the solidarity of Riverside County first responders when they lose one of their own. The images also show how a community comes together and rallies behind its law enforcement personnel. Calhoun was gunned down in the line of duty Friday when he responded to a domestic disturbance in Lakeland Village.

Photographer Joe Fanaselle also captured photos of Friday night's procession that accompanied Calhoun's body from Wildomar's Inland Valley Medical Center to the coroner's office in Perris:

Related stories:

• Photos: More Than 1,000 Turn Out For Slain Deputy's Murrieta Vigil
• Funeral Procession, Services Set For Slain RivCo Sheriff's Deputy
• Deputy Darnell Calhoun Remembered During Lake Elsinore Vigil