The wife of one of the four Oakland police officers who were fatally shot by a wanted parolee ten years ago has died from injuries she suffered in a car crash in Yuba City, authorities said.
Angela Dunakin, 52, of Roseville, died at a hospital in Sacramento on Oct. 28, a day after a truck crashed into her car at an intersection in Yuba City, according to police.
Dunakin was the widow of Sgt. Mark Dunakin, who was one of four officers killed on March 26, 2009, by 26-year-old Oakland resident Lovelle Mixon, an ex-felon who was wanted on a no-bail warrant for allegedly violating his parole by failing to meet with his parole officer.
Mark Dunakin was 40 when he was killed.
Mixon was killed at the end of his confrontation with police.
The Police Officers Research Association Of California has launched a campaign to raise $50,000 for the Dunakins’ three children, Anthony, Sienna and Patrick.
PORAC said Angela Dunakin’s death “now leaves these children alone and without any household income, with the exception of what Anthony is currently making.”
The law enforcement group said Anthony, who is now 25, was living with his mother along with his 10-month-old daughter Riley.
It said Sienna, 24, just started her second year at the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University and Patrick, 19 is in his first year at Chico State University.
PORAC said the money that is raised “will help run the household until the home is sold and also assist both Sienna and Patrick with expenses for college, not to mention everyday life until they can all get on their feet.”
The research association said, “Angela put everything she had into her children and worked hard to make sure her kids were taken care of. Now they are left alone needing to figure out their lives and how to move forward
without either of their parents in their lives.”
The law enforcement group said the Dunakins’ children “are great kids and now having to deal with both of their parents being taken away in such violent and tragic ways.”
The website for the fundraising campaign is at https://porac.org/fundraiser/fund-our-hero-dunakin-childrens-family-trust-fund.
5 comments
Don’t widows of police officers receive a pension from the police departments?
The pension goes to spouse not children after on duty death. The problem is it can not be past on to children. If spouse remarries then they can list new spouse as beneficiary. If she was not married most likely children will get nothing from PERs.
The house was probably purchased by parent thinking pension would cover payments with pension gone that mortgage would eat them up fast, hence needing to sell.
I believe until remarried or passing. Being Dad was killed in line of duty, there are benefits for the kids too…. Or that is what I’ve heard….
Sell the house?
That’s the last thing that needs to be done. Their house is their foundation & they need to keep the familiarity in place during this time of profound change. Hopefully, the house can be paid off free & clear by donations.
I’m a little concerned about the oldest though since he is 25 y/o, has a 10-month-old but still living at home. Those are not good decisions so I would want the house paid off with conditions that it cannot be sold by the oldest sibling.
RIP Mark and Angela Dunakin.
Presumably people helping the family with decisions such as to sell the house understand the full picture much better than what can be found via casual Google surfing.
We don’t know the circumstances that lead up to a the 25 y/o living in his mom’s house with a 10-month old.
I agree in general that hanging onto the house would be better in the long term. They paid $415,000 for it in 2011 and it’s worth $716,000 today. A $300,000 gain in eight years is excellent. While there has been a decline since the $754,000 high in May 2018 property values in Roseville have been holding up very well as Sacramento expands.
The problem is that just one of the three children lives there. One is in Chico and the other in Ohio. The 25 y/o single parent is not in a position to buy out his siblings. I doubt he can afford to send the siblings $3,200/month fair market value rent either.
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