LA Deputy Dies 24 Years After Being Shot In Head
POMONA (CBSLA) — A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy will be laid to rest Thursday, after dying of a head wound he suffered in a shooting 24 years ago.
Steven Belanger, 52, died Tuesday from the injuries he suffered when he was shot in the head in a December 1994 traffic stop in Rowland Heights, according to the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs.
At the time, Belanger was a 29-year-old married father of a year-old daughter and a seven-year LASD veteran. He was shot in the head by a 20-year-old man on a skateboard, and the bullet reportedly lodged in his brain and could not be removed.
"His retirement, ongoing health issues and ultimately his death ... were related to the shooting," according to an ALADS statement.
The suspect, Matthew Hagemann, fatally shot himself a few hours later.
While Belanger will be given the full honors of a law enforcement officer who died in the line of duty, including a 21 gun salute, a missing man flyover, and an honor guard, there will be no procession before the funeral at Pomona Valley Memorial Park Mausoleum.
The service will be closed to the public, but open to all current and retired law enforcement and first responders.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
