By admin 
Tulare County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Randy Hoppert, who was shot and killed in the line of duty on April 9, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Valor on Tuesday for his actions in confronting an armed suspect during an eviction.
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A man ambushed deputies serving an eviction notice at a home in north Porterville. Hoppert, 35, was part of the response to the initial shots-fired call. The man, identified as 59-year-old David Morales, was killed by law enforcement after a six-hour standoff.
“Randy’s actions that day embodied exactly what the Medal of Valor represents,” said Sheriff Mike Boudreaux.
Tuesday’s ceremony held at Central Valley Christian School’s auditorium in Visalia also honored the heroism of several Sheriff’s Office personnel — from dispatchers who in April took the call to the deputies and SWAT team members who responded to the fatal ambush in Porterville.
Boudreaux said many who were honored didn’t feel they deserved any type or recognition or action, but he disagreed.
“I, as the sheriff, and we, as a community, want to recognize heroic, hardworking, dedicated actions that you took,” Boudreaux said. “It’s an emotional time. It’s emotional then, and it’s emotional today.“
Boudreaux presented 12 letters of commendation and two medals of valor recognizing the action that took place not only in dispatch but in the field.
Hoppert’s wife Ashley, who has been in law enforcement for 14 years, received his medal of valor from Boudreaux. She didn’t speak at the ceremony or talk to the news media afterward. At Hoppert’s memorial service in April, Ashley said her husband understood the risk of his job and was “the bravest man I’ve ever known.”
Hoppert, a detective, was a six-year veteran of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office and a trained SWAT operator. He was rushed to Sierra View District Hospital in Porterville, where he was pronounced dead.
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Detective Hector Negrete also received the Medal of Valor for his courage in pulling Hoppert away from danger under active rifle fire, pulling the fallen deputy by himself to the rear of a patrol vehicle, and staying with him while placing his own life at risk.
Boudreaux, who recounted the events of April 9, said the Medal of Valor is the highest honor the sheriff can bestow upon any sworn member of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.
The medal is reserved for “extraordinary acts of courage and selflessness. Acts carried out in the face of extreme danger, with full knowledge that doing so could result in your own injury or death,” he said.
Boudreaux said Negrete helped move Hoppert to an awaiting ambulance and provided life-saving efforts until medical personnel took over.
“He chose to leave safety under immediate and threat of gunfire. Chose to run towards a fallen officer. He chose to risk his own life in an effort to save Randy,” Boudreaux said. He said in the history of the agency, no one has received the award twice until Tuesday.
This is Negrete’s second Medal of Valor. He received his first medal when he kicked in the door of an engulfed home and ran in to pull people out of the burning home.
Hoppert was the first California officer killed in the line of duty in 2026. Hoppert is survived by his wife Ashley, their three sons, Austin, Everhett and unborn son Levi who is expected to arrive in the fall, his parents and sister.
This story was originally published August 11, 2026 at 6:06 PM with the headline “Tulare deputy Randy Hoppert, shot and killed in the line of duty, receives medal of valor.”
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