Constable Rasmus Rasmussen was shot and killed while controlling the perimeter of a home in which a man was barricaded. The suspect had shot and killed the owner of the service station at Cherry Street and Petaluma Boulevard over an argument about his dog. The suspect also shot and killed an innocent bystander who tried to prevent the killing of the service station owner. After barricading himself in his home on Cherry Street, responding officers and citizens surrounded the house and attempted to talk the suspect out. During the standoff, Deputy Rasmussen shot some windows out. The suspect inside returned fire killing Constable Rasmussen. The other officers, citizens, and a military machine gun company returned fire, killing the suspect.
Constable Rasmussen also served as a deputy with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department. He was survived by his wife and five children and is buried in the Berkeley Cemetery.