Officials say this all started with a traffic stop on Henry Road in Napa County.
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The sheriff's office says deputy Riley Jarecki saw the car parked around 11 p.m. Sunday and got out to speak with the driver.
Jarecki emptied her magazine into the car Javier Hernandez Morales had been sitting in after he turned and fired on her with a .22 caliber pistol.
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She then radioed that shots have been fired.
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Napa County Undersheriff Jon Crawford described the incident as a clear case of attempted murder by Morales, and self defense by deputy Riley.
"The loss of life is something that we always take very seriously, either by this agency or by any other law enforcement agency. In this case however, Hernandez Morales made the choice to attempt to murder deputy Jarecki, and she responded accordingly," Crawford said at a press conference Wednesday.
Officials say Morales had a criminal history including weapons violations, a DUI, and an assault on a peace officer. He was a farm worker who lived in Napa.
The sheriff's department says no one else was involved. There was no one else in the car and no witnesses in the very remote area.