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Note: Occasionally, the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted program is unable to publish summaries concerning some officers who are feloniously killed in the line of duty. These situations may stem from insufficient information, gag orders that are issued by the courts, or other unusual circumstances that may exist. Although written summaries of the deaths of five law enforcement officers who were killed in 2006 are not included in this publication, all available information is included where applicable in the data tables.
At 12:34 p.m. on September 28, a police officer with the Montgomery Police Department was shot during a traffic stop. The 30-year-old officer, who had nearly 1½ years of law enforcement experience, stopped a vehicle after the driver committed a traffic violation. An in-dash camera in the officer’s patrol car recorded the subsequent events. When the officer approached the stopped vehicle, the driver (the lone occupant of the car) shot the officer fatally in the jaw with a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun. The officer, who was wearing body armor, collapsed onto the ground, and then the man fired four more rounds into the victim officer’s torso as he drove by him and then sped away. The alleged shooter’s vehicle was later recovered approximately 3 miles from the scene of the shooting. The vehicle, which had been set on fire, was identified as belonging to the father of the suspected shooter’s girlfriend. The suspect was arrested in Georgia the next day by officers from the U.S. Marshals Service and was charged with Capital Murder. The 32-year-old arrestee, who was on probation at the time of the murder, had a previous criminal record including murder and drug violations. The victim officer succumbed to his injuries on September 30.
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On October 23 at 10:09 a.m., a 48-year-old police officer with the Fairfield Police Department was killed while investigating a call concerning suspicious persons or circumstances. The veteran officer, who had 21 years of law enforcement experience, was interviewing two suspects and was being assisted by a second police officer, who had nearly 4½ years of experience. The second officer had responded as backup when he heard the call from dispatch. The investigating officer had subdued one of the suspects and was attempting to search him as she instructed the second suspect to place his hands on the hood of the vehicle. The assisting officer had entered his patrol car and was calling dispatch with the suspects’ vehicle information. The second suspect, who was apparently armed with a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun, shot the investigating officer fatally in her neck/throat and then ran to the assisting officer’s vehicle and shot multiple rounds into the car. The assisting officer, who was wearing body armor, was wounded in his rear lower torso/back and his leg. The investigating officer, who was also wearing body armor at the time of the shooting, was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead later that day. The 28-year-old assisting officer underwent surgery and was expected to make a full recovery. The alleged shooter, a 21-year-old man with a prior criminal record and who was on probation at the time of the incident, fled the scene. He was located the next day in Birmingham at a friend’s residence and was arrested without incident by officers from a multiagency task force. The arrestee was charged with Capital Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer and Attempted Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer.
On February 4, a patrol officer with the Gassville Police Department was shot and killed while conducting a vehicle stop in a motel parking lot. Just after 2:30 in the afternoon, the 63-year-old officer, who had 31 years of law enforcement experience, approached the driver’s side door of the stopped vehicle. The driver opened fire with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun, wounding the veteran officer in the side of his head, his arms/hands, and fatally in his neck/throat. An employee at the motel called 911 to report that an officer had been shot, and officers from the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene. A description of the suspect’s vehicle was broadcast, and it was spotted by a deputy sheriff. Officers from the sheriff’s office and the Arkansas State Police chased the suspect for a distance. Despite the use of spike strips, the suspect continued to flee until losing control of his vehicle and coming to a stop. The driver shot at the officers, and the officers returned fire. Later investigation revealed that after the 18-year-old suspect wrecked the vehicle, he allegedly shot his passenger who was pronounced dead at the scene, shot at the officers, and finally shot himself once in the head. He was transported to a local medical center and then airlifted to another hospital where he died. Empty shell casings from the 9 mm weapon were found in the suspect’s vehicle. Evidence indicated that this weapon was used to kill the victim officer, the suspect’s passenger, and the suspect.
Just after 4:30 p.m. on January 7, a 38-year-old police officer with the East Palo Alto Police Department was shot and killed while responding to a disturbance call at a local restaurant. Upon arriving at the scene, the veteran officer, who had over 14 years of law enforcement experience, observed one of the suspects involved in the disturbance leaving the restaurant and followed him to an adjacent street. As the officer attempted to take the man into custody, he resisted and produced a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and fired at the officer, striking him and knocking him to the ground. The officer was able to return fire and struck the suspect in the lower abdomen. The suspect fired a second time at the victim officer, wounding him in the chest above his protective vest and fatally in the front of his head. The shooter fled on foot. The search for the 22-year-old suspect, who was a known drug dealer and who was on parole at the time of the incident, ended the following morning when officers at a checkpoint set up in the area of the incident found him in the backseat of a vehicle. He was arrested and charged with Murder and Participation in a Street Gang.
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A patrol officer with the California Highway Patrol, Modesto Detachment, was shot and killed during a traffic stop on February 17. Around 4:40 a.m., a citizen called the Merced Communications Center and reported that it appeared an officer had been shot and identified the location near Ripon. The information was broadcast, and an officer who was in the area responded. As he approached the location, he saw a citizen frantically waving. When he arrived at the scene, he found the 36-year-old victim officer, who had nearly 6 years of law enforcement experience, lying on the shoulder of the road close to the right front of his patrol vehicle. The victim officer, who was wearing body armor, had suffered a gunshot wound to the front of the head from a handgun of an unknown caliber and was not breathing. Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful. The victim officer was holding a vehicle registration card in his hand. The vehicle description was given to all California law enforcement agencies and was posted on the freeway changeable message signs. Later that night, the registered owner of the vehicle and her husband came to the Stockton Police Department and reported that the car had been stolen. However, after extensive questioning, the couple began giving conflicting statements. The 30-year-old husband was arrested for the murder of the victim officer. The man, who had an extensive criminal record including violent crime, police assault, and drug and weapons violations, was charged with Murder.
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A 30-year-old deputy sheriff with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was killed on March 28 at 5:45 a.m. in Long Beach . The veteran deputy, who had nearly 7 years of law enforcement experience, was found lying next to her car shortly after nearby witnesses reported hearing gunshots. The deputy, who was on her way to work after leaving a friend’s house, was shot twice with a .22-caliber semiautomatic handgun. She sustained a gunshot wound in her back and a fatal wound to her stomach. Investigators reported that the deputy may have been trying to take police action during an attempted armed robbery. Her service weapon, a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun, was found in the open trunk of her vehicle. The weapon was jammed, and investigators believe that at the time she was slain, the victim deputy was attempting to draw her weapon. On September 27, two men, aged 26 and 20, were arrested and charged with Murder and Attempted Robbery relating to the incident. Both had prior criminal records that included weapons violations.
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Just before 3:30 a.m. on October 27, a deputy sheriff with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Wilton . The 38-year-old deputy, who had more than 7 ½ years of law enforcement experience, was conducting a traffic stop on a suspicious vehicle and had typed information about the stop into the onboard computer in his vehicle. Shortly thereafter, a radio transmission was sent to the deputy, but he did not answer. Responding officers found the victim deputy, who was wearing body armor, on the ground near the rear of his vehicle. He had been shot in the arms/hands and fatally in the head at close range with his service weapon, a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun, which was found at the scene. By the time responding officers arrived, the vehicle and its occupant had left the scene; the suspect remains at large.
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Around 8:40 p.m. on December 22, a 28-year-old police officer with the San Francisco Police Department was fatally wounded while attempting to make an arrest. About 8:20 p.m., two other officers in a marked police vehicle spotted a prison escapee walking along the street. The officers made a U-turn but lost sight of the suspect. They believed he had jumped over backyard fences in an attempt to escape. The officers broadcast their location and requested backup to establish a perimeter. The victim officer, who had more than 4 years of law enforcement experience, and several other officers arrived at the location and set up a perimeter and began searching for the suspect in the backyards of the residences in the area. One of the officers spotted the man and broadcast his location. The officer told the suspect to stop, but he turned and ran, and the officer chased after him. The suspect kicked in a door to a commercial garage and ran inside. The victim officer arrived at the garage from a different direction and entered the building, followed by the officer who was chasing the suspect. Inside, the victim officer stood to the right of a closed door of a small interior room, and the second officer was to his left about 10 feet away. Neither of the officers knew that the suspect was in the small room. Suddenly, the door to the room flew open, and the second officer saw in the dimly lit garage the silhouette of a person, heard shots fired, and saw a muzzle flash coming from the doorway. The victim officer, who was wearing body armor, dropped to the floor with a fatal gunshot wound to the front of his head from a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun. The 33-year-old suspect, who had a prior criminal record that included drug arrests, violent crimes, police assault, and weapon violations, was killed at the scene apparently in the ensuing gunfire. However, the official cause of death is still pending. The victim officer was taken to a local hospital where he died the following day.
A 44-year-old special agent with the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) was shot and killed about 7:40 a.m. on June 21 while attempting to make an arrest in Tallahassee, Florida. The special agent, a 17-year veteran of law enforcement, was part of a team of agents from the OIG and the FBI who had been sent to Florida to arrest six correctional officers indicted for corrupt activities at the local federal correction facility. The agents attempted to arrest one of the correctional officers as he exited the secure portion of the detention facility following the completion of his workday. During the arrest, the correctional officer pulled a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun from a bag he was carrying and fired one round, which struck a Bureau of Prisons employee. He ran to the front door of the building where he was confronted by the OIG special agent. In an exchange of gunfire, the correctional officer fired four shots, one of which struck the OIG special agent in the lower back, killing him. The special agent was able to fire thirteen shots, seven of which hit the 43-year-old offender and led to his death.
A 26-year-old deputy sheriff with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office was killed while attempting a traffic stop in Orlando just after 3 p.m. on August 1. The deputy, who was in full uniform and wearing body armor, was working a traffic detail on a westbound ramp when he spotted a speeding car. He stepped into the right traffic lane and raised his hand to order the driver to stop; however, instead of stopping, the driver accelerated the car, striking the victim deputy’s legs, throwing him over the right side of the car. The deputy, who had nearly 6 years of law enforcement experience, was transported to a nearby medical center where he died the next day from the multiple traumatic injuries he suffered to his chest, stomach, arms/hands, and in the front below the waist. The 19-year-old suspect, who had a prior criminal record and was driving with a suspended driver’s license, drove from the scene to an intersection where he left the road and ran the vehicle into a fence. He abandoned the car and fled on foot. The suspect was located on August 2 and was arrested and charged with Second-Degree Murder.
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A 39-year-old deputy sheriff with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and his service dog were killed and another deputy sheriff was injured shortly before 12:30 p.m. on September 28 in an unprovoked attack. One of the deputies had stopped an individual in a rental car for speeding in Lakeland. The driver gave a false name to the deputy then fled the scene on foot into a heavily wooded area. The canine deputy and his canine partner responded as backup. The dog tracked the suspect and found him several hundred yards away from the road. The man shot and killed the dog with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and then turned the gun on the canine deputy. The victim deputy, who had more than 12 years of law enforcement experience, was shot in his back and arms, and then was fatally shot twice in the side of the head at close range. The man took the victim deputy’s service weapon, a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun, and the spare magazines. The deputy who initiated the traffic stop, also 39 years old, witnessed the man shooting the victim officer. The deputy fired four rounds at the shooter with his service weapon, but none of the rounds struck him. The offender fired back, wounding the 13-year veteran deputy in the right thigh. The offender fled but was thought to have remained in the wooded area. The next morning, officers located the 27-year-old suspect armed with the deceased deputy’s firearm. After he refused to surrender and brandished a weapon, SWAT team members shot and killed him. The offender was known to possess and deal drugs and had a prior record for offenses including police assault. The wounded deputy recovered from his injuries and returned to duty within a few days.
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On November 11, a deputy sheriff with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office was killed and another was wounded in an unprovoked attack in Tamarac . The 34-year-old deputy, who had nearly 5 years of law enforcement experience, was conducting a traffic stop in a residential area shortly after 11 p.m. A 37-year-old deputy, with nearly 5 years of law enforcement experience, was providing backup at the scene and had parked his vehicle behind the responding deputy’s patrol car. The female driver of the stopped vehicle had a male passenger who was sitting in the front seat. When the 34-year-old deputy requested to see the woman’s driver’s identification, she complied. The deputy took her driver’s license and vehicle documentation and returned to his vehicle. Suddenly, the passenger in the woman’s vehicle and two other men, who apparently were watching nearby, attacked both of the officers, firing nineteen shots from .40-caliber semiautomatic handguns. The 34-year-old deputy was shot fatally in the rear back. The 37-year-old deputy, who was wearing body armor, was struck in the chest and in the rear below the waist. Responding personnel transported both deputies to a local medical center where the 34-year-old victim deputy was pronounced dead and the 37-year-old deputy was treated for his injuries. Three men were identified as suspects in the shooting: a 28-year old, a 22-year-old, and a 19-year-old. All three were arrested the next day and charged with First-Degree Murder. In addition, the 28-year-old suspect was charged with Possession of Firearms by a Convicted Felon. The 37-year-old deputy recovered from his injuries and returned to duty within a few weeks.
At 1:30 a.m. on March 23, a deputy sheriff with the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office was killed during a tactical situation at a residence in Macon. The deputy, who was 36 years old and had nearly 12 years of law enforcement experience, was part of a team of officers from a multijurisdictional drug task force that included a drug squad from the sheriff’s office. The group was executing a no-knock search warrant on the residence with the deputy in the lead. As the officers entered the residence, two individuals began firing at them with 9 mm semiautomatic handguns. Nine shots were fired; three struck the victim deputy: one bullet penetrated both of the deputy’s hands as he was holding his service weapon; one round, which was fatal, struck the deputy in the face below his left eye; and one bullet hit him in the lower abdomen, but his body armor stopped the round. Officers removed the victim deputy from the residence and summoned an ambulance. He was taken to a local hospital where he was subsequently pronounced dead. Other officers at the scene took into custody five people who were inside the residence and seized weapons, illegal drugs, and drug paraphernalia. Two of the persons arrested, one man aged 20 and another aged 21, were believed to be the shooters. Both were arrested and charged with Felony Murder. Both men had previous criminal histories, and both were known drug dealers.
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A 33-year-old master police officer with the DeKalb County Police Department was shot and killed while investigating suspicious persons on the evening of June 29. Around 7 p.m., two officers were on patrol in a cruiser in rural DeKalb County when they noticed what appeared to be a drug deal occurring in a gas station parking lot. As they entered the lot, the suspect in the vehicle spotted the officers and drove away. The officers followed the suspect to a nearby apartment building. Aware that the police were following him, the suspect pulled behind the building, abandoned the vehicle, and fled on foot. The officers exited their vehicle and pursued the suspect, who was on parole at the time of the incident. At one point, the officers lost sight of the man as he turned a corner. As they came around the same corner, they were met with gunfire from a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun. During the gunfight, the 12-year veteran officer was hit in the chest when a round from the shooter’s gun entered the side panels of his body armor. Though mortally wounded, the officer returned fire and hit the 24-year-old shooter, killing him. The victim officer’s partner and other civilians on the scene were unharmed in the shooting.
On September 27 at 9 p.m., a 43-year-old police officer with the Metra Transit Police Department, Chicago, was fatally shot in the back of the head with a .38-caliber handgun while he was conducting surveillance from his marked vehicle. The lone officer, who had nearly 5 years of law enforcement experience and who was wearing body armor at the time of his murder, was parked on property adjacent to a commuter train station that had been the scene of recent criminal activity. An unknown gunman, who remains at large, shot the victim officer at close range. Investigating officers noted that the victim officer’s service firearm was missing.
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A 37-year-old police officer with the Maywood Police Department was shot and killed on October 23 in an unprovoked attack. At 11:13 p.m., the 9-year veteran police officer radioed dispatch from his vehicle for a license plate check. About 4 minutes later, dispatch received a call from a citizen stating that shots had been fired and that an officer was down. Police arrived on the scene and found the officer, who was wearing body armor, slumped over his steering wheel. The victim officer had been shot four times at close range in his neck/throat and fatally in the rear of his head with a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The unknown suspect remains at large.
A 36-year-old corporal with the South Bend Police Department was fatally wounded around 10:45 p.m. on April 21 during a robbery. The veteran corporal, who had nearly 10 years of law enforcement experience, was off duty and walking across a parking lot with an acquaintance when two young men, one brandishing a weapon, approached them and attempted to rob them. The corporal drew his weapon and ordered them to stop. The two exchanged gunfire; the offender was able to fire six shots with a .38-caliber revolver that struck the corporal in the side of the head, chest, back, and the neck/throat. The veteran corporal was able to fire eight shots, three of which struck the gunman. The accomplice drove the alleged shooter to a local hospital for treatment and upon their arrival, hospital personnel notified police that an individual had been brought there with gunshot wounds. The injured suspect was treated and released from the hospital the next day and was immediately taken into custody. The 18-year-old accomplice was also arrested that day. Neither suspect had prior criminal records. The 17-year-old suspect was charged with Felony Murder and Robbery, and the 18-year-old accomplice was charged with Murder and Attempted Robbery. The victim corporal was taken to a local hospital, but he slipped into a coma and died of the injuries to his neck/throat on April 23.
On October 26 at 1:20 p.m., a 54-year-old sheriff with the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office was shot and killed by a man who had a history of mental illness. The man had come into the sheriff’s office in Hoxie voluntarily to answer questions about his father’s grave, which someone had attempted to unearth. The man insisted that he had not been responsible for digging up the grave; however, the sheriff, who had 18 years of law enforcement experience, noted that he appeared to be having trouble accepting his father’s death. The sheriff attempted to persuade him to undergo psychological evaluation and told him that the officers could take him to a place where he could receive help with his emotional state. After several minutes of dialogue, the man consented to an evaluation, and he was asked to remove his coat before officers transported him to the appropriate facility. The man appeared to comply, and the officers who were present prepared to search him for weapons; however, he pulled a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun from the small of his back and pointed it at a deputy but did not shoot. He then turned the weapon on the sheriff and fired six shots, striking the victim sheriff in the front upper and lower torso, arms/hands, and fatally in the front below the waist. The victim sheriff was able to fire three rounds from his service weapon, striking the shooter twice. A deputy who was present also returned fire, striking the man several times before killing him. The 35-year-old man had a prior criminal record of violent crime, including police assault.
At 8:37 p.m. on March 1, a sergeant with the Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office was shot during a drug-related special assignment in Napoleonville. The 31-year-old sergeant, who had 8 years of law enforcement experience, was working with other agents assigned to the Assumption Parish Narcotics Task Force. The officers were conducting surveillance in high drug traffic areas in order to locate individuals who were wanted for felony warrants associated with undercover drug operations. The officers approached a vehicle that was illegally parked in the roadway, and the driver put the car into reverse and accelerated in an effort to elude the approaching officers. A chase ensued, and soon after, the driver crashed the vehicle into a ditch. As officers attempted to arrest the driver, he struggled with them and tried to take one of the officer’s firearms, a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun. The weapon discharged and fatally struck the victim sergeant, who was assisting with the arrest, in the front upper chest just above his body armor. The victim sergeant was taken to a local hospital where he later was pronounced dead. The 22-year-old offender, a known drug dealer with a prior criminal record who was under the influence of narcotics at the time of the incident, was immediately taken into custody and charged with First-Degree Murder of a Police Officer, Aggravated Flight from an Officer, Resisting an Officer, and Possession with Intent to Distribute Crack/Cocaine.
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On June 16, a 40-year-old captain with the St. John the Baptist Parish (SJBP) Sheriff’s Office was shot and killed while investigating suspects in an earlier nonfatal shooting of a 35-year-old SJBP deputy. In the initial incident, which occurred at 1:12 a.m., two deputies had attempted to pull over a vehicle with one male and one female occupant on a local highway. Suddenly, the driver made a U-turn and shot three rounds into the deputies’ unmarked police car, striking the leg of the deputy who was driving. The wounded 35-year-old deputy attempted to continue the pursuit of the suspects, but shortly radioed dispatch that he could not continue and pulled his car to the side of the road. An assisting deputy arrived on the scene and placed the victim deputy in his car to meet an ambulance that was en route, allowing the other deputy to resume the chase. Around 1:30 a.m., another deputy informed dispatch that he was in pursuit of a southbound vehicle that was traveling at a high rate of speed and could potentially be the suspects. He advised dispatch that the vehicle had possibly exited the highway at LaPlace. Officers who were securing the original crime scene observed a SJBP captain’s unmarked police vehicle traveling toward the area where the suspects had last been spotted by a civilian. At 1:48 a.m., dispatch received a 911 call from a residential area in LaPlace that reported a body being dragged to the curb. Officers arrived at the residence 2 minutes later and found the body of the 14-year veteran captain who had been shot three times with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun in the upper chest, the lower torso, and fatally in the rear upper back. His vehicle and service weapon were gone. The captain was transported to the hospital by ambulance where he was pronounced dead at 2:29 a.m. Later that morning, the 31-year-old male suspect and his 28-year-old female accomplice invaded a home in Kenner and stole another vehicle. The victim captain’s stolen vehicle was subsequently found near the scene of the home invasion. Shortly thereafter, the vehicle stolen from the home invasion victims was spotted by officers, and a pursuit began which ended in the crash of the suspects’ stolen vehicle and the apprehension of the woman. The man fled on foot to the River Ridge area and invaded a second home where he took an individual as a hostage. Around 11:50 a.m., the suspect surrendered to authorities. The female suspect was charged with Murder, Attempted Murder, two counts of Armed Robbery, and three counts of Second-Degree Kidnapping. The male suspect, who had a lengthy prior criminal record, was charged with First-Degree Murder, two counts of Attempted First-Degree Murder, and Armed Robbery. The wounded deputy returned to work a few weeks later.
About 5:45 p.m. on May 24, a 31-year-old senior patrol officer with the Dearborn Heights Police Department was fatally wounded while responding to a disturbance call. The senior patrol officer, who had more than 11 years of law enforcement experience, responded to a call of shots fired from a home into the residential neighborhood and at officers who had already arrived at the scene. When he reached the area, the senior patrol officer, who was wearing body armor, attempted to position himself across the street from the house from where the shots were fired. However, the gunman opened fire, and a bullet from a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun fatally struck the veteran officer in the front of the head. Other officers exchanged gunfire with the man, and he was eventually killed. The 60-year-old shooter had no prior criminal record and no known history of mental disorders; however, he apparently had had a mental breakdown, as he allegedly had announced earlier that he was going to kill someone. The victim officer, who had been taken to a local hospital, died the following day.
On October 21 at 2:10 a.m., a 30-year-old canine police officer with the University of Mississippi Police Department was killed while assisting an officer with a traffic stop in Oxford. Although the responding officer had initiated the stop on the university’s grounds, the driver was pulled over at an off-campus convenience store for speeding. When the responding officer requested to see proof of insurance, the individual put the vehicle in reverse and backed toward the patrol vehicles. He then attempted to flee the scene. The backup officer, who had nearly 4½ years of law enforcement experience, tried to stop the man from leaving by reaching into the driver’s window. The officer became entangled with the vehicle, and the man drove away, dragging the victim officer for several feet. Eventually, the victim officer became disentangled from the vehicle and fell to the pavement where he suffered a fatal head trauma. The victim officer also suffered injuries in the front of his body below the waist and on his arms/hands. He was transported to a local hospital and was then taken via helicopter to a hospital in Tennessee where he was pronounced dead later that day. The offender left the scene and drove to an apartment complex where he attempted to crash through an electronic entry gate. However, his vehicle became stuck in a ditch, and he abandoned it. He then walked to a friend’s apartment within the complex, called his parents, and told them that he had dragged a police officer with his vehicle. The offender’s parents called the Oxford Police Department. Shortly thereafter, responding officers arrived at the apartment and arrested the 20-year-old man without incident. The offender, who had a prior criminal record and who was allegedly under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time of the incident, was arrested and charged with Capital Murder.
A 37-year-old sergeant with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department was killed and a 35-year-old detective was injured while responding to a domestic disturbance on February 1 at 1:20 in the afternoon. A helicopter unit was the first to respond to the call and relayed that there were several individuals outside of a residence. Just prior to the sergeant’s arrival, one man walked away from the house and another man went inside. The veteran sergeant, with nearly 16 years of law enforcement experience, and a uniformed primary officer were in the street in front of the residence when a radio broadcast was made indicating that the suspect in the original domestic disturbance report was in custody at a nearby location. It was later determined that this person was actually a witness to the incident and not a suspect. The sergeant and primary officer approached the open front door of the residence while other responding officers detained people outside. Inside, a man had created a concealed firing position by overturning a couch at the top of the stairway adjacent to the front door. As the officers entered, the man, armed with a 7.62x39 mm semiautomatic rifle, fired multiple rounds, striking the sergeant in the chest and back. The victim sergeant managed to exit the house and fell on the porch 10 feet outside of the home. The primary officer returned fire, and the suspect moved to a second floor window where he had previously constructed a firing platform. He fired at the officers and patrol cars below. When officers returned fire at the suspect, he moved to another window and fired again. The detective, who had nearly 9 years of law enforcement experience, began firing at the suspect with an AR-15 rifle. The detective, who was wearing a tactical vest, was struck in his left leg by a round fired by the suspect. Despite his injuries, he remained engaged in the gun battle. The 21-year-old suspect emerged from the front door and began firing rounds at the victim sergeant who was still lying on the porch and inflicted a fatal wound to the rear of the sergeant’s head. After retreating inside the dwelling for a brief period of time, the shooter, a known drug user with a criminal history and who was under the influence of narcotics, reemerged firing his rifle at the officers. During the ensuing 8-minute gun battle in which the offender fired 49 shots, he was killed by return gunfire from the six armed officers.
Shortly before 3 a.m. on October 16, two patrol officers with the Manchester Police Department who were on bike patrol responded to and cleared a call concerning a domestic disturbance in which a shot reportedly had been fired. The officers remained in the general area and observed two subjects they believed might have been involved in the domestic disturbance. The two men were walking away from the officers in an alley just behind the residence where the disturbance had occurred. The officers identified themselves at least three times and ordered the men to stop. One of the men complied, but the second man continued to walk away. The 35-year-old patrol officer, who had more than 5 years of law enforcement experience, identified himself again and ordered the suspect to stop, but he continued to walk away. The patrol officer, who was wearing body armor, was approaching him from behind when the man suddenly turned and fired at close range an undetermined number of shots from a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun. One of the shots struck the officer fatally on the side of the head. The victim officer’s partner returned fire, but the suspect escaped. By the time responding officers were able to establish a complete perimeter, the suspect was no longer in the area. Within 14 hours, he was located at a relative’s house in Massachusetts and was surrounded by a law enforcement tactical team. After brief negotiations, he surrendered without incident. The 26-year-old male suspect, who was a known drug user and who had a criminal record that included a prior conviction, violent crime, and weapons violations, was arrested and charged with Capital Murder. The victim officer died of his wounds the following day.
A 32-year-old detective with the Orange Police Department was killed on August 7 while investigating shots fired in a neighborhood. At 10:45 p.m. , the detective radioed for backup and reported seeing a man with a gun standing in the middle of the road. When additional units arrived, the detective, who had 5 years of law enforcement experience, informed them that the man had fled into the backyard of a nearby home. The detective pursued the man into the yard ahead of the other officers, who subsequently heard gunshots and called for more units. Officers found the detective lying at the foot of the steps to the back door of the residence. He had been shot in the upper chest with a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun. Although the detective was wearing body armor, the shotgun blast entered through the armhole of the vest, fatally wounding him. Officers transported the detective to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead at 11:17 p.m. Approximately 12 hours after the incident, police received a tip that led them to the suspect in the shooting, a 19-year-old male. The suspect, a known drug dealer and user, was on parole at the time of the incident. He had a prior criminal record that included violent crimes and drug and weapons violations. The suspect also knew the victim officer through a prior law enforcement relationship. He was charged with Murder and weapons violations.
A 38-year-old deputy sheriff with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department was shot and killed while conducting a traffic stop on March 22 in Tijeras. The deputy, who had nearly 5 years of law enforcement experience, had stopped a vehicle at 12:45 a.m. and notified dispatchers of the stop. Two minutes later, the county communications center received a 911 call from an area resident who said that shots had been fired and that an officer was lying in the road. Personnel at the communications center tried to contact the victim deputy but received no response. Backup officers arrived at the scene and found the deputy, who was wearing body armor, on the roadway with a fatal gunshot wound to his face. Officers and rescue personnel tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate him. Two casings from a 10 mm semiautomatic handgun were found next to the deputy’s body. A manhunt ensued involving numerous law enforcement agencies that eventually led to a 29-year-old suspect in Ciudad, Juarez , Mexico . He was arrested on April 3 and charged with Capital Murder. The suspect was on parole at the time of the incident and was known to use and deal drugs. He had a previous criminal history that included drugs and weapons violations, and he was wanted for a previous murder.
A 30-year-old patrol officer with the New Hartford Police Department was shot and killed at 8:20 p.m. on February 27 while pursuing suspects in a robbery at a local jewelry store. At 8:17 p.m., the Oneida County 911 Center received a silent alarm from the jewelry store and dispatched officers to the scene. At least two individuals, and possibly as many as four individuals, had entered the store brandishing weapons and had handcuffed the store’s employees. The robbers disabled the store’s video surveillance system and stole watches, loose diamonds, and diamond rings. Though police units arrived at the scene within minutes, the robbers fled from the store, and a high speed car chase ensued. The chase ended in Kirkland where the driver of the getaway car attempted to turn into a parking lot of a market, but crashed the car into gasoline pumps in front of the store. When two men exited the vehicle, officers subdued one of them. However, the other man fled toward a wooded area at the edge of the parking lot. When the man entered the tree line, he turned and fired one shot with a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun at the pursuing officer, fatally striking him in the upper chest. The victim officer, who had 6 years of law enforcement experience, was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Canine units dispatched to find the shooting suspect led police to a business in Kirkland where the suspect had carjacked a tow truck. The suspect forced the tow truck driver at gunpoint to drive him to Pennsylvania, gave the tow truck driver $100, and released him. The next day, the U.S. Marshals Service obtained a warrant for the shooting suspect citing the charge of Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution. Law enforcement personnel tracked the 36-year-old man to a house in Chester, Pennsylvania. When a U.S. Marshals Service Task Force tried to enter the house, the suspect exited the front door and fired at the entry team with a handgun. The entry team returned fire and killed the offender, who had a prior criminal record that included convictions for murder, drugs, and weapons violations. The offender, along with the other individuals involved in the jewelry heist in New Hartford, were thought to have been involved in other jewelry robberies in the Northeast.
Shortly before midnight on August 30, a 37-year-old detective with the Cleveland Police Department was shot and killed while attempting an arrest. The veteran detective, who had 10 years of law enforcement experience, was with a task force, including officers from the U.S. Marshals Service and various local agencies, who were trying to execute an arrest warrant for an individual who was wanted for aggravated burglary and rape. The officers took up positions around the individual’s residence, which had a small porch at the front door. The detective and a lieutenant knocked on the door several times without getting a response. The lieutenant left the porch as the detective positioned a battering ram he was carrying. A man suddenly unlocked and opened the door then quickly tried to close it. Though the detective attempted to stop him from closing the door, the man retreated into the residence. The man then fired three shots at close range through the door with a .357 Magnum revolver. One round circumvented the detective’s body armor between the vest’s side panels, fatally striking the detective in the chest. The victim detective walked away from the porch and collapsed in the front yard. Officers took him to a local hospital where he died. The 37-year-old alleged shooter, a known drug dealer, had previous criminal records for violent crime, drugs, police assault, and weapons violations. He surrendered to officers at the scene and was arrested and charged with Aggravated Murder, Having Weapons While Under Disability, Tampering with Evidence, Rape, Gross Sexual Imposition, Kidnapping, Felonious Assault, and Aggravated Burglary.
A 43-year-old trooper with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol died on February 9 as a result of injuries suffered in a shooting on April 25, 1999. Around 7:30 in the evening of the incident, the trooper, who had more than 4 years of law enforcement experience, responded to a report of a woman’s body found in a local cemetery. The trooper, along with other troopers and the sheriff and deputies from the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department, arrived at the cemetery and found the body with a fatal gunshot wound to the head. As the officers were securing the scene, a man approached them. When questioned, he identified himself as the dead woman’s husband and told officers he had shot her and was going to kill himself as well. At that time, officers observed that the 52-year-old suspect was hiding a .357 Magnum revolver behind his back and took cover. The suspect raised the gun but did not threaten the officers. The trooper and the sheriff began to negotiate with the suspect in an attempt to talk him into putting down his weapon. During the discussion, the trooper made an attempt to disarm the man by throwing a flashlight against his chest. The trooper and the sheriff then rushed the man, and as he fell backwards, the man fired three times hitting the sheriff in the shoulder and striking the trooper in the neck above his protective vest. The suspect then fatally shot himself in the head. Emergency medical technicians immediately responded to the scene and treated both the trooper and the sheriff. The victim trooper, who suffered severe blood loss and spinal cord injury from his neck wound, was transported to an area hospital and later admitted to a trauma center where he spent 8 months. The trooper’s injuries resulted in his paralysis from the neck down and ultimately led to his death nearly 7 years after the incident.
About 10:10 p.m. on May 8, a 46-year-old police officer with the Philadelphia Police Department was shot while responding to a robbery in progress at a local cafe. Two officers responded to the call, and when they arrived at the location, they noticed that the window blinds of the cafe were down. One of the officers went to the front of the business, and the other officer went to the back. The officer at the front of the building opened the door and saw the patrons lying on the floor; when they saw the officer, they pointed to the back door. The officer exited through the front door and headed to the back of the building. Before he arrived at the back, however, he heard a door open and then a gunshot. When he reached the corner, the officer saw a man behind the building holding a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun. The man pointed the gun at the officer, who headed for cover as the man fired a round at him. The officer reported on the police radio that shots had been fired. The officer heard the man pump the gun, preparing to fire again, and the officer repositioned himself behind a vehicle. The officer noticed the back door to the establishment closing and then saw the other officer lying on the sidewalk. When the victim officer did not respond to his calls, the officer radioed that an officer was down. Additional officers arrived at the location, and the suspect fled the scene on foot. The arriving officers placed the victim officer, who had gunshot wounds to his neck and chest, into a patrol vehicle and transported him to a local hospital. At 11:50 p.m., the 16-year veteran of law enforcement was pronounced dead from a wound he had sustained to his neck above his protective vest. On May 16, officers arrested a 23-year-old man and charged him with First-Degree Murder, Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Possession of a Firearm, Resisting Arrest, Possession of an Instrument of Crime, Prohibited Offensive Weapon, and Unauthorized Use of Auto and Vehicles. The man, who was on supervised release, had a prior criminal record that included arrests for violent crime, drugs, and weapons violations.
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A 40-year-old field training officer with the Reading Police Department was shot and killed while answering a disturbance call in the early morning hours of August 6. Around 2:30 a.m., the veteran officer, who had over 9 years of law enforcement experience, was working in plain clothes on a stolen auto detail when he heard a dispatch of a fight with possible gunshots fired. The officer was in the immediate area, and he approached a man who was a possible suspect reported in the disturbance. After a brief conversation, the man fled, and the officer pursued him on foot. As the officer was about to tackle him, the suspect, while on the run, fired four or five shots from a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun. Two rounds struck the victim officer, one shot in the lower back and one fatal shot in the chest. The 24-year-old man was apprehended, and his gun was found at the scene. The offender, who was on probation at the time of the shooting, was charged with First-Degree Murder, Third-Degree Murder, and two counts of Aggravated Assault.
On the evening of September 4, shortly before 10 p.m., a 52-year-old off-duty sergeant with the Carolina Municipal Police Department attempted to intervene in a robbery in progress at a local liquor store. Three youths entered the store while a fourth one remained outside as a lookout. As the veteran sergeant of 26 years approached the youths, he identified himself as an officer, and an immediate exchange of gunfire ensued. The sergeant fired three shots, one of which hit one of the offenders, a 20-year-old male, who died at the scene. In the exchange of gunfire, the sergeant suffered a fatal wound to his chest from a .38-caliber revolver. After disarming the victim sergeant, the youths fled. Five days after the incident, Puerto Rican authorities arrested the 17-, 18-, and 19-year-old male suspects and charged each of them with First-Degree Murder, Weapons Violations, and Attempted Robbery. Two of the arrestees confessed to the charges.
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A 36-year-old sergeant from the Police of Puerto Rico, San Juan , was shot and killed in Rio Piedras at 6 p.m. on December 7 as he responded to a disturbance call at a housing project. The veteran sergeant, who had 14 years of law enforcement experience, along with other officers, were fired upon as they arrived at the scene. The sergeant returned fire, shooting three times at the offender. The offender fired 21 times with a 7.62x39 mm semiautomatic rifle, striking the victim sergeant with some of the rounds in his arms/hands and fatally in his front lower torso/stomach. The victim sergeant was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. The offender, who escaped from the scene and remains at large, has not been identified.
Shortly after 6 p.m. on May 11, a 53-year-old deputy sheriff with the Roane County Sheriff’s Department and a ride-along partner, who had worked previously in law enforcement, were shot and killed in an ambush at Ten Mile. The veteran deputy, who had nearly 27 years of law enforcement experience, and his partner traveled to a residence to serve an arrest warrant. When the deputy pulled his vehicle into the driveway of the residence, two men, one with a 7.62x39 mm semiautomatic rifle and the other with a .45-caliber handgun, charged toward the patrol car and began firing at the vehicle. The deputy was able to return fire and hit one of the offenders with two of his sixteen shots. However, the deputy suffered 40 bullet wounds in the exchange. He suffered injuries to his chest, back, stomach, arms/hands, in the front below his waist, and fatally to the back of his head. Approximately 1 hour after the shooting, officers from a nearby department arrested a 45-year-old man who had gone to a local hospital for treatment for a gunshot wound. The man, who was the subject of the arrest warrant that the victim officer was attempting to serve, had a prior criminal record including violent crime and police assault. The man allegedly knew the victim officer through a prior law enforcement relationship. The other suspect, a 47-year-old man who also had a prior criminal record, surrendered approximately 5 miles away from the location of the shooting about 30 hours after the incident. Both suspects were charged with two counts of First-Degree Murder and two counts of Felony Murder.
A 54-year-old patrol officer with the San Antonio Police Department died on June 21 as a result of injuries he sustained while responding to a disturbance call on February 17, 1977. At the time of the incident, the 24-year-old officer had nearly 3 years of law enforcement experience when he responded to a report of a man with a gun at a lounge. As the officer opened the door to the establishment, an individual shot the officer an unknown number of times in the chest, stomach, and below the waist with a .22-caliber revolver. The officer reported to dispatchers that he had been shot, and the suspect was apprehended a short distance from the lounge. The officer suffered serious internal injuries but was able to return to work after a long hospital stay and rehabilitation. The officer continued to work until May 2006 when he became ill and was hospitalized. He died at age 54 from complications stemming from the gunshot wounds. The offender, who was 41 years old at the time of the incident, was arrested the day of the shooting and was charged with Attempt to Commit Capital Murder. The arrestee had a criminal record that included arrests for violent crime, drugs, police assault, and weapons violations. He was convicted, received a life sentence for the crime, and has since died.
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A 45-year-old deputy constable from the Smith County Constable’s Office was shot and killed during a tactical situation in Tyler on June 7 at 11 a.m. A woman had placed a 911 call from her neighbor’s house reporting her husband had beaten and threatened to kill her and himself, as well as any law enforcement officers who came to the scene. Two deputies from the Smith County Sheriff’s Office responded to the call and initially arrived at the neighbor’s house, where the 911 call had been placed, thinking that it was the suspect’s house. The two deputies then proceeded to the suspect’s residence where they noticed a rifle barrel sticking out of a window in the front of the house. Simultaneously, the deputies noticed the person with a rifle was targeting the Smith County deputy constable, a 21-year veteran of law enforcement, who had arrived on the scene in his unmarked vehicle as backup. The two deputies shouted to the deputy constable to take cover and that he was being targeted by a person in the house with a rifle. The deputy constable, who was wearing body armor, managed to obtain his rifle from his vehicle and fired three rounds at the front of the house. He moved to the rear of his vehicle to take cover; however, the offender fired one shot from his .30-06-caliber semiautomatic rifle with a scope, striking the victim deputy constable in front of the head and killing him instantly. A third deputy sheriff arrived on the scene and tried to aid the victim deputy constable, whom he thought was still alive. The 34-year-old deputy, who was also wearing body armor and who had served 8 years with the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, was shot three times, suffering wounds to his arm, leg, and ankle. The deputy survived those wounds. The 52-year-old alleged shooter, who had an extensive criminal record, which included a prior conviction, violent crime, drugs, police assault, and weapons violations, was later shot and killed by a police sniper when he exited his house with his rifle and proceeded toward an officer in a threatening manner.
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On September 21 at 5:30 p.m., a 40-year-old patrol officer of the Houston Police Department stopped a motorist for speeding. During the traffic stop, the officer, who had nearly 13 years of law enforcement experience, placed the motorist under arrest because he did not have any identification. The veteran officer handcuffed the individual and placed him in the rear of the patrol vehicle, unaware that the arrestee had a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun concealed in the waistband of his pants. Once inside the vehicle, the arrestee was able to draw the gun and position himself to fire the weapon through the patrol car cage’s sliding partition, which was open at the time. He struck the officer numerous times in the upper back and also in the side of his head. The victim officer managed to activate the emergency button on his mobile terminal within the patrol car before succumbing to a fatal shot to the side of his head. A wrecker came upon the scene, and the 32-year-old suspect fired at the wrecker driver, who called 911. The offender, who was still in the back seat of the patrol car with his hands cuffed behind his back, was disarmed by officers who arrived at the scene and was taken into custody. He was charged with Capital Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer. The arrestee had a criminal record of violent crime convictions and previously had been paroled.
A 34-year-old police officer with the Chesterfield County Police Department was killed and another officer was injured when the pair responded to a domestic dispute at a residence in Ettrick. As the two officers, both wearing body armor, entered the home at 1:19 a.m. on May 4, a man immediately fired ten rounds from a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun at them. The mortally-wounded victim officer, who had more than 11 years of law enforcement experience, was struck at close range in the front of the head. His 26-year-old partner, who had 2½ years of law enforcement experience, was hit in the chest, back, and arms; however, he was still able to fire five rounds from his service weapon. Three shots struck the 34-year-old shooter, killing him. The shooter was a known drug user who was under the influence of narcotics and alcohol at the time of the incident.
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Shortly before 4 p.m. on May 8, a detective and a master police officer with the Fairfax County Police Department were fatally shot in an ambush in the department’s parking lot in Chantilly. Approximately 1:30 p.m., a man dressed in military camouflage and armed with two rifles and five revolvers unsuccessfully attempted to carjack a pickup truck in Fairfax. He somehow traveled to Centreville, where he successfully carjacked a minivan, he then drove to the parking lot of the Fairfax County Police Department’s Sully Station in Chantilly. There, he exited the minivan and fired a 7.62x39 mm semiautomatic rifle at a master police officer sitting in a police cruiser parked less than 20 feet away. The 53-year-old officer was shot at least five times and suffered wounds to his arms/hands, back, and neck. The 23-year veteran of law enforcement was not armed at the time of the attack. Despite his wounds, he was able to contact police personnel via his radio to advise them of the situation. The gunman then moved to the rear of the parking lot and exchanged gunfire with a 40-year-old detective who had arrived at the scene. The 16½-year veteran of law enforcement was able to fire 11 rounds at him, but from a distance of more than 50 feet, the gunman shot the detective in the front below her waist and fatally in the chest where a bullet from the .30-06-caliber bolt-action rifle penetrated her protective vest. Another detective arrived at the parking lot and engaged in gunfire with the man and wounded him. As the man retreated further into the parking lot, two additional officers reached the scene and fired at him, killing him. Investigators later learned that the 18-year-old gunman, who was under the influence of narcotics at the time of the incident, suffered from a mental disorder. In addition, he had a prior criminal record that included weapons charges and was on supervised release. The detective died the same day of her wounds. The master police officer was taken to a local hospital and underwent several hours of surgery, but he died on May 17 as a result of the injuries to his neck.
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A 40-year-old corporal from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office was murdered in Blacksburg shortly after 7 a.m. on August 21 while attempting to locate an escaped murder suspect. The corporal, who had 14 years of law enforcement experience and was a member of the sheriff’s office bike patrol, responded to a report that the murder suspect had been spotted along a local bicycle trail. The previous day, the suspect had been transported to a hospital from the Montgomery County Jail where he was awaiting trial for armed robbery. At the hospital, the man overpowered a corrections officer and took his service weapon, a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun. The suspect shot and killed a hospital security guard with the corrections officer’s weapon and fled the scene. On August 21, a civilian reported seeing the suspect along the bicycle trail. When the corporal arrived in the area, he radioed dispatch and confirmed seeing the suspect, who had left the trail and gone into the yard of a residence. The corporal, who was wearing body armor, also exited the trail into the yard, but he did not find the man. He reentered the trail and was pushing his bicycle up a steep path when he encountered the suspect. The suspect fired twice at the corporal with the stolen service weapon, striking the corporal fatally in the back of his head. The suspect then fled the area, and an extensive manhunt began. The 24-year-old alleged shooter, who had a prior criminal record including violent crime and weapons violations, was located later that day and surrendered without incident. He was arrested and charged with Capital Murder, Assault and Battery , Use and Display of Firearms in the Commission of a Crime, and Escape with Force.
Shortly before 2 a.m. on December 2, a 46-year-old deputy sheriff with the King County Sheriff’s Office was shot and killed while responding to a disturbance call along with other officers at a residence in White Center. Officers who had arrived at the scene found a man who had been badly beaten and shot apparently after his car had struck another vehicle outside the residence. The deputies entered the residence, where a party was occurring, and separated individuals into separate rooms for questioning. The deputy, who had nearly 10 years of law enforcement experience, was interviewing a man in a back room of the home when other officers heard what sounded like firecrackers coming from the room. Officers entered the room and found the deputy, who was wearing body armor, lying on the floor with fatal gunshot wounds to the front and back of the head and the body of the man he had been interviewing. The suspect apparently committed suicide by shooting himself with a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun, the same weapon that had been used to kill the victim deputy. The victim deputy was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The 23-year-old alleged shooter, who had just been released from prison in August, was on probation at the time of the incident. He had prior convictions for violent crime, including drug and weapon violations and police assault. The suspect was known to deal and possess drugs and was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident; in addition, he was believed to be a member of a gang.
At 4:23 a.m. on August 29, a 29-year-old detective from the Beckley Police Department was fatally wounded while conducting an undercover drug purchase. The detective, who had more than 5 years of law enforcement experience, was attempting to buy drugs from a 24-year-old man and a 41-year-old accomplice who had arranged the meeting. When the undercover detective identified himself to the two drug dealers as an officer, the 24-year-old man opened fire at close range with a .357-caliber revolver, striking the victim detective in the front below the waist and also in his arm. The fatal round entered the victim detective’s arm and traveled into his chest. An off-duty, unarmed police officer witnessed the shooting and attempted to administer first aid to the detective, but the detective died at the scene. The two suspects fled the area but were located and arrested later the same day; both were charged with First-Degree Murder. The 24-year-old alleged shooter was a known drug dealer, and the 41-year-old male accomplice was a known drug user. Both individuals had prior criminal records that included drug abuse violations.