WHO: Martinez police Sgt. Paul Starzyk, 47, and Catalina Torres, 44
WHAT: The two were killed Saturday by Felix Sandoval Jr., 49, of Martinez. Sandoval was later killed by another police officer.
WHY IT HAPPENED: Sandoval, the estranged husband of Torres’ cousin, was searching for his wife, who had just taken out a restraining order against him, and threatening to kill her.
WHY IT’S A BAD IDEA: Torres was a former victim of domestic violence who volunteered with the group that helped her. Starzyk, a 12-year veteran of the force, was attempting to save her and other women and children in the apartment where Sandoval was hunting for his wife.
WHERE TO VENT: Stand! Against Domestic Violence, the group with which Torres volunteered, called her a “powerful example of a woman who traveled the long journey from victim to survivor.” The group’s crisis line is (888) 215-5555.
