ThinBlueNews remembers Sergeant Damon Christopher Gutzwiller of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office in California, whose End of Watch was Saturday, June 6, 2020.
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, Sergeant Damon Christopher Gutzwiller was shot and killed while he and other deputies investigated reports of a suspicious vehicle in the Boulder Creek and Ben Lomond area of Santa Cruz County, California.
ODMP reports that deputies had responded after a vehicle containing guns and bomb-making materials was reported. When deputies followed the vehicle to a residence, the occupant ambushed them with firearms and improvised explosive devices.
Sergeant Gutzwiller had served with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office for 14 years. ODMP lists his survivors as his expectant wife and young child.
For this remembrance card, ThinBlueNews used confirmed public context from ODMP — California, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, the Santa Cruz Mountains area, and his 14 years of service — to add subtle redwood and California memorial details without overcrowding the tribute.
Remembered today in the Santa Cruz Mountains and beyond.
Support the organization preserving official memorial records
ThinBlueNews creates original remembrance pages to honor law-enforcement sacrifice. ODMP is the nonprofit maintaining the national officer memorial record and providing support resources connected to fallen officers, fallen K9s, agencies and families.
Sources and attribution
Featured memorial image: ODMP profile photo of Sergeant Damon Christopher Gutzwiller with ThinBlueNews memorial overlay, ODMP attribution and confirmed personalization details.
If family, colleagues, or agency representatives see anything that should be corrected or updated, please contact ThinBlueNews through our corrections and editorial standards page.