On May 12, 2014, Mesa Police Sgt. Brandon Mendoza was headed home on U.S. 60, when he was hit head-on by an SUV driven by Raul Silva-Corona, 42, who was drunk and high on methamphetamine, while traveling at a high rate of speed in the wrong direction on the highway in Tempe, Arizona. Mendoza was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries. The illegal alien died at the scene of the crash.
Silva-Corona, had a BAC of 0.238, nearly three time’s the legal limit, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
32-year-old Sgt. Mendoza, was a thirteen-year veteran of the Mesa Police Department. He volunteered his time at the Boys and Girls Club, was an animal lover, photographer and had recently fostered a homeless pit bull he named Lucy Blu.
It has been said that “a society can be judged by the way it treats its animals.”
If that above statement is true, Mendoza was as kind-hearted as he was was brave. On May 13 2014, CBS 5 reported:
Several months ago, he rescued a pit bull he’d found tied to a tree. Mendoza then saved her again when, after taking her to the county shelter, she was about to be put down due to kennel cough.“
He took her in even though he wasn’t sure she would be good with his little doxies,” said Chandra Hardenburg who runs Pittie Me Rescue in Gilbert. “He had a heart for helping others, including our four-legged friends.”
Mendoza ended up fostering the dog he named Lucy Blu, through Hardenburg’s organization, until she found a permanent home.“He was just a very caring person, human being and did a lot for his community, and it’s just a sad day that he’s lost his life,” Hardenburg said.
Brandon's mom, and his most-ardent advocate, Mary Ann Mendoza was kind enough to sit down for an interview about her son, which follows:
Q: Where were you and how did you find out your son had been killed?
A: I was asleep. One of Brandon's fellow officers, who was also deployed to Afghanistan as he was in the Air National guard, called me at around 3:00 am from his base. He told me Brandon had been in a bad accident. I got off the phone and tried calling Brandon over and over with no answer. At about 3:15, the doorbell rang and it was Mesa Police Department coming to get me and bring me to the hospital.
Q: How has your life changed since this tragedy?
A: Brandon and I were best friends. He is my third child out of four. He has two older brothers and a younger sister. A spoke of my family wheel is missing and will never roll smoothly ever again.Brandon was not yet married and we traveled together, he invited me to a lot of events, dinners and gatherings with his friends. I cannot tell you the heartache, loss and tremendous grief I feel everyday.Everyday consists of some sort of research, reaching out to others affected like me and calling on our politicians to wake up to the senseless, preventable tragedies happening in our country every hour of every day.My vibrant, over achiever, loving, incredible son is gone!...I have nothing but memories of his beautiful face, his voice, his hugs, his laughter, his presence. In short, I am saddened by belief.
Q: How was the issue that the killer was here illegally covered by the local media?
A: It was not brought to life until a few days after Brandon was killed. The media is so sickening and quite honestly, some police departments in our country cover this information up and make it almost impossible to gather the proper statistics that we need to report on the number of crimes committed daily, along with the number of Americans killed by illegal aliens.
Q: What kind of person was Brandon? What were his goals, dreams, etc.?
A: Brandon was 32-year-old man at the time of his death, who had lived life to the fullest, never missed an opportunity to travel, be with family and friends and made everyone feel like they were his best friend.He was a modern beat cop who took time to meet each and every person in his beat by going door to door and creating relationships and cultivating trust. His beat prior to his death was a 8-10 city block area in south Mesa that he had been assigned to to clean up and get rid of drug dealers and homeless in the park. He took the assignment above and beyond what anyone expected of him.
He was an over achiever. The stories I heard after his death, of things he had done for people, were mind blowing! This young man was beyond the scope of what normal 32 year olds are doing in this world, on top of having to discredit the stereo type thoughts most of a low income area of town have of cops. He loved to travel and was an avid photographer, and had an extremely large collection of black and white architectural photographs he took. He would take his photos, framed and matted, to First Fridays in downtown Phoenix and have a booth. He also made jewelry.
Brandon still met with one of his elementary school teachers several times a year and had lunch with her. He would go with low income kids on his days off and play kickball and would buy them all pizza or ice cream after the game. He sponsored many children and families at Christmas with his own money. He rescued dogs and would help with placement with just he right person! His heart was huge and his personality left an impression on any one who met him.
Q: What would you like the public to know about this tragedy?
A: I think you have all the details of how it happened. I would like the public to truly understand the depth of loss when a senseless tragedy occurs like this. This could have been avoided. This does not get to be our 'new normal,' and we cannot allow corrupt politicians or the illegal aliens, themselves to try and make us think this is okay in any way, shape or form.
They are not here legally, we are not responsible for their well-being, and any politician who puts illegal aliens ahead of any American in any line or thought, needs to be removed from office.
There is absolutely no reason for any illegal alien criminal to be set loose and allowed to remain in our country after committing a crime. The leniency shown to illegal alien criminals in our country and justice system is sickening and broken. We need to secure our border and quit allowing these repeat criminals in our a way into our country.
*Because of the untimely death of Sgt. Brandon Mendoza, the city of Mesa is a little less safe, his family is forever grief-stricken and our elected officials have a little more blood on their hands.
Please keep Brandon's family in your thoughts and prayers...
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