Slain El Dorado County deputy remembered as devoted father, committed deputy

ROSEVILLE - Friends, colleagues and family on Tuesday remembered a Northern California sheriff's deputy killed last month while responding to a call about a theft from a marijuana garden as a devoted father and a committed deputy.

More than 3,000 people attended a service in honor of El Dorado County Deputy Brian Ishmael at Bayside Church. Blue ribbons were tied to the trees lining the road to the church, and adorned the doors leading to the church's sanctuary, The Sacramento Bee reported .

Ishmael, 37, was fatally shot Oct. 23 in the Sierra Nevada foothills community of Somerset. Four men were arrested in connection to his death in the rural town about 45 miles (72 kilometers) east of Sacramento.

Ishmael was a "man who loved his friends and family with everything that he had," said Ishmael's friend, Wes Kohutek.

El Dorado County Sheriff John D'Agostini told the gathering of the time he spent with Ishmael at the hospital, his body draped in an American flag.

"I placed my hand on that flag on his chest and I said three things: thank you, we got this and your sacrifice will not be in vain," he said.

After the memorial, a procession of law enforcement personnel went from Roseville to Placerville, El Dorado County's seat.

Ishmael was a four-year veteran of the sheriff's office and had previously worked two years for the Placerville Police Department. He is survived by a wife and three daughters.

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Information from: The Sacramento Bee, http://www.sacbee.com