Prayers offered for wounded officer; names of others involved in incident released
Nearly three dozen people gathered Friday morning outside the Modesto Police Department to pray for officer Michael Rokaitis, who was shot and wounded last weekend while serving a search warrant at a home.
“More than one heart is pierced here today so we are gathered here today for prayer,” said pastor Darius Crosby with the Modesto Police Clergy Council, which organized the event.
And the Police Department has released the names of the four other officers who fired their weapons during the incident at a home in the 3100 block of East Orangeburg Avenue. None of the four was injured. Rokaitis also fired his weapon.
A department Facebook post states the officers fired “in response to the suspect’s actions.”
The participants at Friday’s prayer included law enforcement officers from several local agencies as well as Mayor Sue Zwahlen and Police Chief Brandon Gillespie.
“The outpouring of community support has been tremendous since (Rokaitis) was shot,” Gillespie said. “I feel confident telling you that on behalf of his family ... they are truly grateful for what they have experienced, from the support from the department, from the support of everybody in the city and our community.”
Besides praying for Rokaitis and his family, participants prayed for the community and others.
The Police Department reported in a Thursday Facebook post that Rokaitis remains in the hospital in critical but stable condition after undergoing another surgery.
He was shot twice, once in his ballistic vest and a second time below his vest in his lower abdomen. The gunshot injured an artery to a leg. “Michael’s right leg is still a matter of concern, and doctors will continue to monitor and evaluate the viability of his leg,” according to the post.
The Police Department identified the four other officers who fired their weapons as:
▪ Gaganpreet Billing, a Modesto officer for 2 1/2 years
▪ Jessica Davies, a Modesto officer for 8 1/2 years and previously a Gustine police officer for 5 1/2 years
▪ Tyler Eppler, a Modesto officer for 1 1/2 years
▪ Brent Ward, a Modesto officer for 6 1/2 years.
Rokaitis is a seven-year veteran of the department. He and the four other officers are on paid administrative leave, which is department policy.
The department said Billings, Davies, Ward and Rokaitis are members of the street gang unit, and Eppler is a patrol officer.
Four people have been charged in connection with the shooting of Rokaitis. Authorities are seeking a fifth suspect.
Police have not released many details of the incident. Gillespie, the police chief, said earlier this week that he expected to release a critical incident video providing more information within about a couple of weeks.
This story was originally published August 21, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
