SANTA MARIA – Last Sunday, February 26, would have been Santa Maria Police Officer Albert Covarrubias Jr.'s 30th birthday.
His family marked the occasion by tying birthday balloons to a fire hydrant memorial at the corner of McElhanney and Broadway.
It's where Covarrubias was shot last month during a scuffle with other SMPD officers who were trying to arrest him on charges of having an illegal sexual relationship with a 17 year old girl.
Police say Covarrubias fired his weapon during the scuffle and his best friend on the force returned fire.
Covarrubias died later at the hospital from a gunshot wound to his neck.
His family members say they marked his 30th birthday on Sunday by visiting the makeshift memorial and his gravesite at the Santa Maria Cemetery.
The Covarrubias family says it's hired an attorney who has since instructed them not to talk to the media.
30 days after the tragic police shooting and SMPD Chief Dan Macagni says he still has not met personally with the Covarrubias family.
"No, that's usually handled by one of my commanders or a lieutenant", Macagni says, "in this case one of the commanders sat down with them, and then one of the members of the SMPOA has sat down and talked with them in length."
Chief Macagni says he has no plans to meet with the family anytime soon.
"I don't think its necessary at this particular time", Macagni says, "it's a tough situation, they lost a family member and we can empathize with them, it's a tough situation, but he (Covarrubias) made some bad decisions and the end result was absolutely tragic."
Friends of the Covarrubias family say they remain hopeful the truth of what happened to Albert Jr. last month will be revealed in two independent investigations into his shooting death that are currently underway.
