Memorial Service Planned For Fallen Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller

APTOS, CA — Damon Gutzwiller, the fallen Santa Cruz County Sheriff's sergeant killed in a shooting in Ben Lomond, will be honored Wednesday with a memorial service.

The service will be held 10 a.m. at the Cabrillo College football field (6500 Soquel Dr.), following a procession through the City of Santa Cruz, Live Oak and Aptos, the sheriff's office said. The procession can be viewed from the Whole Foods and CVS arking lot at 911 Soquel Ave., the Hook Parking Lot on 38th Avenue, the Capitola Mall and Bevmo parking lots on 41st Avenue and Cabrillo College.

The sheriff's office will livestream the service here and here, and KSCO Radio will broadcast it on their 1080 AM radio station.

The public is asked to livestream the service, though limited seating for the public is available and will be given on a first-come, first-served basis, the sheriff's office said. Gates open at 9 a.m.

Masks are required, and backpacks and oversized bags will not be allowed inside. Parking is limited, so attendees are asked to carpool and park in Parking Lot K, above the field, and overflow parking will be in the Perimeter Road garage.

Gutzwiller was honored June 7 with a vigil outside the sheriff's office, where he was remembered by colleagues as a gentle soul, quick to smile, who made those around him feel safe and loved. During a period when the country turned its attention toward police misconduct, Sheriff Jim Hart remembered Gutzwiller as a model officer who avoided conflict whenever he could.

"I can't describe the sense of loss I woke up with this morning," Sheriff Jim Hart said during the vigil. "There's a hole in our hearts right now."

Gutzwiller was killed June 6 while responding to a call of a suspicious van with guns and bomb-making equipment inside. Responding officers walked into a volley of gunfire and explosives, Hart said.

A fundraising campaign to support Gutzwiller's family had raised more than $650,000 as of Tuesday morning.

The Ben Lomond man charged in connection with the attack is also accused of shooting another deputy and a California Highway Patrol officer in the hand.

Sheriff's Deputy Alex Spencer, who responded to the call with Gutzwiller, was released from the hospital this weekend and received a hero's welcome as he was wheeled outside. Spencer was shot, hit with shrapnel from an explosive and hit by the gunman's car as he left the scene, the sheriff's office said. His bulletproof vest stopped the bullet.

— Patch staffer Nick Garber contributed to this report

See more:

• Vigil Mourns Damon Gutzwiller, Santa Cruz Deputy Killed In Ambush
• Accused Attacker Charged In Ambush On Santa Cruz Deputies
• Santa Cruz Co. Deputy Killed In Ben Lomond Shooting, Explosions
• Deputy Injured In Shooting Honored Upon Release From Hospital