SC Sheriffs Donate $100K Toward Gutzwiller Memorial Park

SANTA CRUZ, CA — The Santa Cruz County Deputy Sheriff’s Association voted to contribute $100,000 to memorialize a sergeant killed in 2020, the association announced Monday. The donation is the largest in the history of the association.

The donation will go towards a memorial at Willowbrook County Park in Aptos in honor of Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, who was killed in the line of duty on June 6, 2020, and frequented Willowbrook Park with his dog Shasta.

Gutzwiller, 38, was killed when Steven Carillo, an active-duty staff sergeant with ties to the extremist “Boogaloo” movement, allegedly ambushed deputies responding to a call with pipe bombs, guns, and loads of ammunition in Ben Lomond. Gutzwiller was not supposed to be on-duty that day, and was called in for overtime, according to a KION report.

Gutzwiller had been with the sheriff’s office since 2006 and became a patrol supervisor. He was described as courageous, intelligent and caring, and left behind a pregnant wife and two sons.

His memorial will include a memorial seating area, enhancements to the park entry and playground, a sports court, and a new flagpole.

County Park Friends and the Willowbrook Park Gutzwiller Memorial are hoping to raise $805,000 to complete the memorial. The County Park Friends website provides memorial renderings and opportunities to donate.

“We are grateful to see the continuing support and love from our neighbors,” said
Faviola Del Real, Gutzwiller’s life partner. “We have lost so much, and this project will
stand as a reminder that there is one thing we will never lose – the memory of the
sacrifice that Damon made on behalf of his hometown.”