I'd die for his family': Homeless man grieves over death of deputy who arrested, then helped him

Sacramento County Sheriff's Deputy Mark Stasyuk was killed in the line of duty Monday. As the community mourned the loss, a homeless man who was arrested — then helped — by the fallen officer came forward to share his grief.

What are the details?

Josh Nordquist is a convicted felon whom Stasyuk once arrested. But after the arrest, Nordquist says the officer would continue to check in on him at homeless encampments, offering him food and assisting him in getting services.

"It's just, the dude had a real heart. He was an awesome man," Nordquist told KOVR-TV of Stasyuk. "It breaks my heart. I'd die for his family. I had heard a little while ago he just got married, it's just so sad."

"The man was just a real man, you know," Nordquist continued, "he had a heart and he understood I was in a tight spot."



What happened to the deputy?

Stasyuk and fellow Deputy Julie Robertson responded to a routine call over a dispute between a customer and an employee at a Pep Boys store in Rancho Cordova.

"As soon as they arrived and engaged the subject, he turned as if to run or flee and then immediately turned around and started firing without warning," Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones told The Associated Press.

Stasyuk was shot in the upper body and later died at the hospital. A bystander was wounded but survived, and Robertson was hit in the arm but returned fire as the suspect fled. After a second shootout with police, Anton Lemon Moore — also known as Anton Paris — was apprehended.

Moore was also wounded in the shootout but is expected to survive. He is a former security guard with a lengthy criminal history and was already on probation for a 2016 conviction when he reportedly shot up Pep Boys.

KOVR reported that Moore also represents himself on social media as rapper Mista Flow.

What else?

Stasyuk had been with the department 4 1/2 years. He is survived by his mother, father, sister and wife.

One of his family members told KCRA-TV that the deputy was "madly in love with (his wife). They just got married in March. He loved fishing, (so much!) spending time outdoors, and had big dreams for his new future. He taught (his wife) how to scuba dive, they did that on their honeymoon in Mexico. He loved being a deputy, talked about it all the time. He was a man full of integrity."