Trailer gives first look at fallen police officer’s life
An upcoming documentary about the life of Police Officer Natalie Corona, who was shot and killed in the line of duty on Jan. 10, is in the works. A trailer, published on Aug. 14, introduced a glimpse into the film and includes segments of interviews with Corona’s family and friends. The documentary is planned to be an hour in length, expected to be released by the end of 2019.
Gloria Partida, the mayor pro tempore of the City of Davis, noted that she is aware of the upcoming documentary and recalled the night of the incident when Corona passed.
“On the night it happened, a notice was received about an officer-involved shooting,” Partida said. “I was invited to go to the operations center at the Police Department, where I received the news of her death. The name stuck out to me because I had actually been at Natalie’s pinning ceremony, which was shortly after I had been elected. I had a lot of hope for her.”
Larry Cappetto, the documentary’s Colorado-based director, has made a number of films concerning the military and first responders. After the news broke on Corona’s death, Cappetto started work on making the documentary, meeting with Corona’s family in the process.
“I have an app on my phone which sends out an alert whenever a police officer is killed in the line of duty,” Cappetto said. “I got an alert the day Natalie was killed and when reading more about what happened, I knew I had to do something.”
Cappetto wanted to capture Corona’s life and her time at the Davis Police Department.
“Through her family, I have been able to get to know Natalie,” Cappetto said. “They are remarkable and are humble people. They welcomed me into their lives, and they are an extremely close-knit family. Natalie’s dad even took me around to places that were special to Natalie.”
The film will feature interviews with Corona’s family, friends and coworkers. For the documentary, Cappetto came to Davis to talk to those who knew Corona. The trailer encapsulated Corona’s passions about law enforcement — Christina Giannone, a Davis Police Officer, indicated that Corona made a valiant first impression on the job.
“She took this job very seriously,” Giannone said according to the trailer. “She made an impression — I went home later that day and told my mom about her.”
Corona’s passion for law enforcement is further shown through her family members’ reminiscences in the trailer. Lupe Corona, Natalie Corona’s mother, remembered how the fallen officer knew that she wanted to become a police officer as a child.
“It was always law enforcement,” Lupe Corona said, according to the trailer. “I mean whether it was dressing up for Halloween or for career day — it was always law enforcement.”
In addition, Natalie Corona’s sister, Kathy Corona, said that the fallen officer’s passion reached for as long as her sister could even recollect.
“She has always loved law enforcement,” Kathy Corona said, according to the trailer. “She knew, for as long as I remember, that she wanted to be a part of the brotherhood.”
The trailer ends with a photo of the Davis Police Department in June 2018 that shows Natalie Corona as an integral part of the department.
“The documentary is a reflective look on her life,” Cappetto said. “It covers her early life, her time in the academy, her time as a Davis police officer and the night of her death. There are some surprises for her family at the end. I want viewers to come away with a respect for those who serve our country. Remember, freedom is not doing whatever you like but doing what you ought to do.”
Written by: Taylor Martinez — city@theaggie.org
