Injured officer’s wife sees signs of recovery
Gilbert police Officer Rico Aranda continued to recover in rehabilitation as of Wednesday after a man in a stolen vehicle hit him, leaving him critically injured, and fatally struck a Chandler officer last Thursday evening, according to officials.
Police arrested Jonathon Altland, 25, on suspicion of first-degree murder Thursday after police say he fled from and shot at officers and later hit officers with a stolen vehicle, killing Chandler Officer Christopher Farrar and hospitalizing Aranda, who was in critical but stable condition after the incident.
Aranda, 27, has been with the Gilbert Police Department for three years, according to police. His colleagues and family said he is a loving father of two children, ages 2 and 8, and has been with his wife, Idalia Ontiveros, for a decade.
“He’s a very selfless man, he puts everybody else before him, always. He’s super caring, a great dad,” Ontiveros told journalists at a news conference on Wednesday.
Police said Aranda primarily received a head injury but continued making positive steps toward recovery
since the incident. On Tuesday evening, Aranda was transferred from the intensive care unit to rehabilitation, according to officials.
Assistant Police Chief Mike Angstead said at the news conference that while Aranda’s recovery is trending upward and he’s “doing pretty good,” they didn’t know how the night was going to end after the incident happened.
Ontiveros said when Aranda was first hospitalized, it was “heartbreaking, I couldn’t handle it,” she said. The first day was difficult, Ontiveros said, because of medication and the surgery.
But as time went by and he started joking around, she thought “There’s my Rico,” she recalled.
She said everyone was impressed because he was moving around and talking. “He had all the nurses laughing,” she said.
“Anybody that knows my husband, they know he’s a funny guy,” she said. “He’s very uplifting, it’s almost like nothing happened to him. He just wakes up, he’s like ‘I’m great.’ He feels like he’s great and he looks great.”
Being a police officer is something Aranda has always wanted and was his dream.
She said he wants to continue working for Gilbert police.
“He’s going to stay protecting and serving the community, he loves Gilbert PD; they’re his second family,” she said. “He says it was unfortunate what happened but he wouldn’t take back what he did, it’s for the community and that’s what he signed up for.”
Gilbert police Sgt. Mathew Reale, who has known Aranda for about two years, said the officer is a “model employee” who “meets or exceeds expectations, is willing to take additional responsibilities.”
“As an officer, Rico is a valiant protector of the Constitution, constantly studying law and its application to serve the community,” Reale said.
Reale added that even when playing the Call of Duty video game, Aranda “insists” on discussing case law. He said Aranda was also “adamant” that he responded to all the calls in his district and “didn’t want anyone to work more because of him.”
“He was incredibly motivated and inquisitive officer that did his best to be a better officer and better human being at the end of every day. Rico’s a friend who loves to laugh and make others laugh, who’s humble enough to admit when he doesn’t know, and courageous enough to ask for help,” Reale said.
Aranda’s wife said she isn’t sure how long he will be in rehab but will receive an update Wednesday.
Ontiveros said she is grateful for Gilbert police and the community’s continued outreach and support for her family. A GoFundMe set up for Aranda’s family had raised nearly $100,000 as of Wednesday.
“Everybody made me feel so comfortable and let me know it was OK to reach out and get help,” she said. “The fact that they’re supporting us, it’s amazing.”
A vigil for Farrar was held Saturday and a fundraiser for his family was held Monday.