Sacramento State to hold vigil in memory of alumna Tara O’Sullivan

Sacramento State will hold a vigil Sunday evening for alumna Tara O’Sullivan, the Sacramento police officer who was killed in the line of duty Wednesday responding to a domestic violence call.

The vigil will be held at 8 p.m. Sunday at the Outdoor Studio Theatre, northwest of the University Library.

O’Sullivan, 26, graduated in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in child development and was one of the first four students to complete the Law Enforcement Candidate Scholars program. She went on to the Sacramento Police Academy and started her service after graduation Dec. 20, 2018.

“Our hearts go out to Tara’s family, friends, classmates, and fellow officers,” Sac State President Robert S. Nelsen said in a statement to the campus. “This exceptional young officer will be remembered by the Hornet Family for her intelligence, commitment to public service, and bravery.”

Law enforcement officers, first responders and the public paid respects to O’Sullivan during a procession Friday morning that took the slain officer’s body from the Sacramento County coroner’s office to an Elk Grove funeral home.

The procession of Sacramento police vehicles, escorted by California Highway Patrol motorcycles, traveled south on Highway 99 from 12th Avenue to Elk Grove Boulevard.

Fire department, Elk Grove police and sheriff’s vehicles set up along overpasses on that stretch of highway with their lights on, awaiting the procession as it made its way to the Herberger Funeral Home on Elk Grove Boulevard.

O’Sullivan will lie in rest at the funeral home until her funeral service. Details of O’Sullivan’s service have not been announced, nor have plans for the public to pay their respects to O’Sullivan.

This story was originally published June 21, 2019 at 3:35 PM.