Suspect in murder of police officer on Christmas night is an illegal alien

A manhunt is underway for a suspect in the murder of a police officer in Newman, California, on Christmas night during a traffic stop.

Officer Ronil Singh performed a traffic stop on a silver Dodge Ram about 1 in the morning on Wednesday when witnesses said they heard a gunfire exchange and Singh was killed.

Police are searching for a man they say is an illegal alien for the crime.

Officer Singh, who left behind a wife and a 5-month-old son, was also an immigrant, but he entered the country legally from Fiji.

In an angry statement to the media on Thursday, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson said they would not release the name of the suspect, but he made it clear they knew his identity and that he was in the country illegally.

"This suspect, unlike Ron, who immigrated to this country lawfully and legally to pursue his lifelong career of public safety and public service and being a police officer," said Christianson.

"This suspect is in our country illegally," he added. "He doesn't belong here. He's a criminal."

"We will find him. We will arrest him," he concluded. "And we will bring him to justice."

Here's part of the news conference:

The official Twitter account of the Los Angeles Police Department posted images from surveillance video of the suspect.

President Donald Trump tweeted about the manhunt on Thursday and tied the murder to his promise to build a border wall.

"There is right now a full scale manhunt going on in California for an illegal immigrant accused of shooting and killing a police officer during a traffic stop," the president tweeted.

"Time to get tough on Border Security," the president concluded. "Build the Wall!"

Others posted images of Officer Singh in remembrance of his service on the police force.

A memorial fund has been made for the fallen officer, and donations can be made online through this linked website.