On Dec. 26, 2018,  community members gathered in Newman’s downtown plaza in a state of shock and sadness and asking one simple but all-encompassing question: Why?

The community was looking for anything that could assuage their grief as they grappled with the senseless murder of Newman Police Cpl. Ronil Singh.

Five years to the day, law enforcement from around the region, along with Singh’s family, friends and community members once again gathered in the downtown plaza and still searched for an answer to why Singh was taken from them.

“It’s very difficult but also an honor at the same time to stand up here and see all this support for Ron,” said Newman Police Chief Randy Richardson during the memorial vigil Tuesday night.

Cpl. Singh called off on a traffic stop at Merced Street and Eucalyptus Avenue in Newman at 12:57 a.m. on Dec. 26, 2018. Singh was stopping the vehicle for a suspected driving under the influence. A few moments later he called out shots fired over the radio and that he had been hit.

“It was by far the most difficult night of my life and career,” Richardson said. “Time passes and you can remember the good times you had with him, but it’s still hard every day.”

Tuesday’s memorial included an emotional video recounting the events of that night and the lasting impact it has had on the Newman Police Department. Allied agencies flooded the scene and took over the investigation as Newman officers raced to Emanuel Medical Center where they learned Singh had died from the gunshot wounds.

“It is a sacrifice that can never be repaid,” said Newman Mayor Casey Graham.

The shooter, Paulo Virgen Mendoza, was later apprehended and was eventually given a life sentence after pleading guilty to Singh’s murder.

Singh was born in Fiji and came to the United States to pursue his dream of becoming a police officer. Singh started his law enforcement career as a volunteer with the Modesto Police Department and then served as a cadet and animal service officer with the Turlock Police Department. He worked in Turlock from 2006 to 2010 and then joined the Merced County Sheriff’s Department as a deputy in 2010. He graduated Modesto Junior College in 2009 with a degree in criminal justice. Singh joined the Newman Police Department in 2011. 

Ra Pouv, a detective with the Modesto Police Department had grown close to Singh over the years. Speaking at Tuesday’s memorial he recounted how he couldn’t quite process the news that night that his friend had been killed and that even still it can catch him by surprise. The outpouring of support that is expressed at the annual memorial does help, he said.

“I can’t tell you how much your support has meant to us and his family,” Pouv told the crowd.

That gratitude was echoed by Singh’s widow and his mother.

“Sometimes our life can feel empty,” said his widow Anamika S. Chand. “Thank you for being a light in the darkness.”

Singh’s mother, Rohini Lata, had a letter she wrote read at the memorial and thanked the Newman community for helping make “the waves of grief easier to bear.”

“Ron always loved Newman and I can see that Newman will always love him,” she wrote.