Authorities offer reward, release video of suspect wanted for murder of Riverside police officer

Police in Riverside have released new video of the prime suspect in last weekend’s fatal shooting of a police officer.

Officer Ryan Bonaminio was shot and killed while chasing down a suspect near downtown Riverside. Authorities say he may have been killed with his own weapon. That gun hasn’t been recovered. The suspect is still on the loose. He’s a tall, middle-aged African American man who at the time of the murder was wearing dark baggy clothes and a tan baseball cap. Police just released dashboard video footage of the suspect taken on the night of the murder

“We think the video clip that shows this person getting back in the truck shows how this person carries himself, his body motion and so forth so that may be helpful in identifying the person,” says Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz.

Several law enforcement agencies are offering a combined reward of nearly $400,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.

“We think that this almost $400,000 in reward money that’s been offered will loosen some tongues. That’s a lot of money to forego for protecting a criminal like this,” says Diaz.

On Tuesday, Bonaminio’s father spoke out for the first time since his son’s murder. Joseph Bonaminio begged the suspect to turn himself in.

“I’m not a vicious person. In my mind there are two forms of punishment for you,” Joseph Bonaminio said at a news conference outside Riverside police headquarters.

“One is the most inhumane way you could treat a person. The other way is the way my son would do it; my son would bring you in, have you incarcerated and let justice do its job.”

Ryan Bonaminio joined the Riverside Police force four years ago after a stint in the Army. A joint police and military funeral for the slain officer is set for next Tuesday in Riverside. He’s the first Riverside police officer to be killed in the line of duty in nearly 10 years.