Service for Fallen Officer Scheduled for Next Thursday

The funeral service for slain Hayward police Sgt. Scott Lunger is tentatively scheduled to be held at a church in Castro Valley next Thursday morning, police said. Lunger, 48, was fatally shot near Myrtle and Lion streets in Hayward at about 3:15 a.m. Wednesday after he and another officer stopped a truck that was being driven erratically.

Lunger’s service is scheduled to be held at the Neighborhood Church at 20600 John Drive in Castro Valley at 10 a.m. next Thursday, police said. A viewing is tentatively scheduled to be held sometime next Wednesday at the Chapel of the Chimes at 32992 Mission Blvd. in Hayward.

Meanwhile, Lunger’s body was being escorted this afternoon by officers from Hayward and other agencies from the Alameda County coroner’s bureau in Oakland to the Chapel of the Chimes, Hayward officials said. It was expected to enter the Hayward portion of the route between 2:15 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., Hayward city spokesman Frank Holland said.

Police Capt. Mark Koller said Lunger, a 15-year veteran of the department who lived in Brentwood, was shot without warning as he approached the driver’s side of the vehicle after he and another officer stopped the suspect. The other officer returned fire at the suspect, later identified as 21-year-old Mark Anthony Estrada of Oakland, but Estrada managed to flee the scene, according to police. Estrada eventually wound up at Highland Hospital in Oakland, where he is under guard and being treated for injuries aren’t considered life-threatening, police said.

East Bay Congressman Eric Swalwell spoke about Lunger’s tragic death in Washington today.

Swalwell tweeted, “Honored fallen @HaywardPD Sgt. Scott Lunger on @Housefloor. May God watch over his soul, our community & his family.”

Lunger was added to the list of “recently fallen” officers listed on the “Officer Down Memorial” page. Law enforcement officers from all over the country have written condolences to Lunger’s family on the page.

Full coverage of the fatal shooting on Patch:

• Suspect is in Custody for Fatal Shooting of Officer
• In Photos: Candlelight Vigil for Sergeant Scott Lunger
• Police Sergeant Fatally Shot During Traffic Stop in Hayward
• Community Takes to Social Media to Mourn Loss of Hayward Police Sergeant
• Candlelight Vigil for Fallen Hayward Police Sergeant
• Slain Police Sergeant Remembered as ‘Ideal Officer’

People who want to make donations should contact the Hayward Police Officers’ Association at (510) 293-5010, police said. Hayward police and the officers’ association said they haven’t established any accounts on GoFundMe or other crowdfunding sites to raise money for Lunger’s family.

By Bay City News and AUTUMN JOHNSON

Photo of vigil courtesy Michelle Clowser

Video embed courtesy ABC 7 News

Video of East Bay Congressman Eric Swalwell via YouTube