Fingerprints lead Riverside authorities to suspected killer of police officer

The suspected killer of a Riverside police officer is in custody. Authorities arrested 44-year old Earl Green at a shopping center Tuesday night. Police may have also recovered the murder weapon.

The officer was gunned down during a foot chase following a traffic stop late Sunday. The suspect, Earl Green, may have wrested Bonaminio’s gun away from the officer.

“We have not been able to verify but it possibly could have been the gun used against our officer, yes,” says Riverside police detective Ron Sanfillipo. “It appears that at least 3 rounds from fired from that gun, at least.”

Investigators say officer Bonaminio’s weapon was recovered after Earl Green’s arrest. Officers served 3 search warrants, but would not disclose the locations. Detective Sanfillipo did say evidence recovered from a diesel truck allegedly stolen by Green on the night of the shooting led them to the suspect.

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“We had a fingerprint hit located in the vehicle the suspect had stolen,” says Sanfillipo. “We did extensive background checks and it just so happened we had people surveillance certain people and it turned we located him at that location.”

Officers swarmed Green in the parking lot of a Target store in Riverside. Green lives in the nearby community of Rubidoux. He was booked on suspicion of murder. He has an extensive rap sheet that includes battery of a police officer and vehicle theft. Green is scheduled for arraignment Monday. He’s being held without bail.

A reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction climbed to nearly half-a-million dollars yesterday, just hours before Green’s arrest.

On Tuesday the slain officers’ father, Joseph Bonaminio, spoke out for the first time since his son’s murder. “I had a son that spent two tours in Iraq and he gave his life on our soil and I wanna know why and I wanna know where the logic is in that,” said Bonaminio.

“I don’t understand, my wife doesn’t understand. We just said goodbye to our son.”

Ryan Bonaminio joined the Riverside Police four years ago after a stretch in the U.S. Army. He would have turned 28 on Thanksgiving Day. A joint police and military funeral will be held for Bonaminio next Tuesday.