Summaries: Officers Feloniously Killed
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 issued by the courts, or other unusual circumstances. Although a written summary of the deaths of five law enforcement officers who were killed in 2018 are not included in this publication, all available information is included where applicable in the data tables.
AL | AZ | CA | CO | FL | GA | HI | IL | IN | KS | KY | LA | ME | MD | MA
MI | MS | MO | NY | NC | OH | OK | PR | SC | TN | TX | UT | WA | WI
Shortly before 11:30 p.m. on February 20, a 27-year-old patrol officer with the Mobile Police Department was shot and killed while answering a call for service. The incident began at 9:30 p.m. after a call to investigate a deceased female lying in a roadway who appeared to have suffered blunt force trauma to the back of her head. While at the scene, officers interviewed two people familiar with the deceased individual. It was reported that she left her home earlier in the evening to pick up her ex-husband for choir practice. Later, her car was spotted in her ex-husband’s driveway. A detective on scene requested additional officers to accompany him to the ex-husband’s residence. The detective met the 27-year-old officer and a second officer at the precinct; the three of them arrived at the ex-husband’s home at 11:23 p.m. They saw the deceased female’s car in the driveway, so they took positions of cover. The detective and the 27-year-old officer, who had more than 2 years of law enforcement experience, went to the rear of the home; the other officer took cover behind a tree in the front yard. The detective spoke via cell phone to other detectives who were still at the original scene and decided not to attempt to contact anyone inside the residence. The 27-year-old officer returned to his marked patrol vehicle, which was parked down the street, to retrieve his department-issued rifle. He then joined the officer who was positioned behind the tree at the front of the house. The officers briefly spoke about contacting their superior officers, as they had been requested to do. The 27-year-old officer radioed dispatch. Just as he ended his radio transmission, an individual inside the home fired at the officer from a distance of 45 feet with a .38-caliber revolver. The officer, who was wearing body armor, was struck once in the front of the head. He immediately fell to the ground and was unable to take any action. The officer behind the tree fired twice, but both rounds struck the home. The uninjured officer notified dispatchers of the situation. The suspect continued to fire his weapon intermittently as responding officers extracted the victim officer from the scene. In all, the 72-year-old suspect fired eight rounds. The victim officer was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly before midnight. Officers held their positions until SWAT personnel arrived. Attempts to negotiate with the suspect began at 12:40 a.m., but no contact was made. At approximately 2 a.m., SWAT members inserted a reconnaissance robot into the home. The robot located the suspect, who had committed suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. The suspect had a criminal history that included a violent crime.
In Avondale, on July 25 at 10:17 p.m., a 24-year-old trooper with the Arizona Department of Public Safety was fatally injured and a 34-year-old trooper suffered a non-life-threatening injury while responding to a situation involving a suspicious person. The 34-year-old trooper, a 13-year veteran of law enforcement, was investigating a suspicious person who was allegedly throwing rocks at vehicles on a roadway. The veteran trooper attempted to restrain the subject, who resisted; the veteran trooper called for assistance. The 24-year-old trooper, who had 2 months of law enforcement experience, and his field training officer responded to the call. During the struggle, the subject gained control of the field training officer’s duty weapon, a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun, and fired two rounds. One round fatally struck the 24-year-old trooper in the front upper torso/chest, entering through the armhole or shoulder area of his body armor. The other round struck the veteran trooper in the front upper torso/chest entering above his body armor. Officers arrested the subject and charged him with First-Degree Homicide, Aggravated Assault, Attempted First-Degree Assault, and Endangerment. At 11 p.m., the 24-year-old trooper was pronounced deceased. The 34-year-old trooper recovered from his injury and has since returned to duty. The 20-year-old subject was known to have a mental illness and was under the influence of marijuana at the time of the incident.
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On April 27 at 2:43 p.m., a 44-year-old patrol officer with the Nogales Police Department (NPD) was shot and killed in an unprovoked attack while answering a call for service. Earlier in the day, a person called for a taxicab, intending to rob the driver and carjack the vehicle using a .223-caliber semiautomatic rifle. Once he was seated in the taxicab, the suspect assembled the weapon in the back seat, then informed the driver he was being robbed. When the driver did not cooperate, the suspect fired a round through the floor of the vehicle. Consequently, the taxicab lost power, and the driver ran from the vehicle. The suspect exited the taxicab and used his weapon to stop a passing truck. When he reached through the open driver-side window to open the door, the driver rolled up the window, temporarily trapping the suspect’s arm. The suspect freed his arm, and the driver sped away. Then the suspect stopped a car and ordered the couple inside to get out of the vehicle. Shortly after that, the suspect sent a friend a video via social media, informing her that he had stolen a car from two elderly people. At 2:24 p.m., the suspect pulled into the parking lot of a local business to find another vehicle. He walked to a trailer court behind the parking lot and stole another car from a man there and drove away. Meanwhile, the Arizona Department of Public Safety dispatch had alerted law enforcement about a suspect wielding a firearm. The NPD veteran officer, who had 11 years of law enforcement experience, drove past the suspect, made a U-turn, activated his overhead emergency lights, and began following him. At 2:43 p.m., the suspect pulled into the parking lot of a market, exited the vehicle as it was still moving, and began firing at the officer’s patrol vehicle. The officer attempted to exit the vehicle, but the suspect used his body to slam the door and continued to fire through the window at the trapped officer. The officer was struck above his body armor in his neck/throat, front upper torso/chest, front lower torso/abdomen, arms, and hands. He subsequently died from his injuries. The suspect fled on foot and used his rifle to carjack another vehicle. He then drove to a house and attempted to kidnap the man who came to the door. However, the man told the suspect he had a child in the residence and could not leave, so the suspect stole the man’s vehicle instead. A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CPB) agent passed the suspect, and after receiving an updated description of the suspect’s latest vehicle, turned around. The agent and two additional U.S. CBP units followed him to a trucking yard, where the suspect exited the vehicle, climbed over a fence, and hid under a mobile home. The 28-year-old suspect discharged the unspent cartridges, disassembled the weapon, and threw it out from underneath the residence. At approximately 3:28 p.m., he surrendered to officers and was taken into custody. He was charged with First-Degree Homicide, Aggravated Assault, Armed Robbery, Kidnapping, and Endangerment. He had a criminal history that included a drug law violation.
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A deputy marshal with the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) in Phoenix lost his life in a shootout with a suspect known for violent tendencies and mental illness. On November 29 at 5:30 p.m. in Tucson, the deputy marshal, age 41, and other members of the USMS Violent Offender Task Force were attempting to execute a felony arrest warrant on a suspect for stalking a police officer. During the confrontation, the suspect fired six rounds at the task force using a .223-caliber semiautomatic rifle that he had built himself. Two of the rounds struck and killed the deputy marshal, who had 3 years of law enforcement experience, mortally wounding him above his body armor in his front upper torso/chest. Assisting officers fired 26 rounds, none of which struck the suspect. The 26-year-0ld suspect had a criminal history that included resisting arrest. He was arrested and charged with First-Degree Murder of a Federal Officer.
On February 6, a former deputy sheriff with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office died of injuries he received in an unprovoked attack on December 10, 1994, in Rowland Heights. The then 29-year-old veteran deputy, who had 7 years of law enforcement experience, made a felony traffic stop shortly before 6 p.m. and was in the process of handcuffing and placing the subject in his patrol vehicle, when a man on a skateboard approached from behind. As he neared the deputy, the skateboarder pulled out a .357-caliber revolver and held it to the back of the deputy’s head and ordered the deputy to release the arrestee. The skateboarder then shot the deputy, who was wearing body armor, in the back of the head. The arrestee exited the patrol vehicle and fled the scene in his own vehicle with the skateboarder. The 20-year-old alleged shooter, who had prior arrests for a drug law violation and was a known user of controlled substances, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a nearby town. The arrestee turned himself in to the Corona Police Department. He later pleaded guilty to the felony charge of Assault on a Peace Officer and received a 14-year prison term. The deputy sustained significant brain injuries, which led to his death in 2018 at the age of 53.
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Just after 9 p.m. on March 9, a 30-year-old police officer with 6 months of law enforcement experience with the Pomona Police Department (PPD) was shot and killed while responding to a disturbance call that ultimately became a tactical situation. Earlier on the day of the incident, officers had responded to a domestic disturbance call, but by the time officers arrived, the subject of the call had left in his vehicle. Family members of the subject decided to pursue him in their vehicle. The resulting pursuit was reported by witnesses, and PPD officers unsuccessfully attempted a traffic stop. The subject fled to his residence where he barricaded himself in a bedroom. Officers arrived at the scene and conducted a protective sweep of the residence and determined that it was empty other than the subject, who had barricaded himself in his room. The victim officer, who was wearing body armor, approached the locked bedroom door using a ballistic shield. As the officer drew closer, the subject fired through the door with a .357-caliber revolver, fatally striking the victim officer in the front of the head just above the shield. Officers returned gunfire. The subject fired another round that ricocheted off the door and struck a 26-year-old PPD police officer in the side of the face, penetrating his cheek and lodging in his teeth. The wounded officer, who had more than 3 years of law enforcement experience and was also wearing body armor, was admitted to the hospital for treatment. After the victim officer and the wounded officer were extracted from the scene, members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Special Enforcement Bureau responded and employed tear gas and explosive breeches to force the subject from the residence. The 38-year-old subject was known to have a prior mental illness and was under the influence of amphetamines/methamphetamines and on parole at the time of the incident. He was arrested and charged with Murder, Attempted Murder, Felon in Possession of Firearm, Prohibited to Own Ammunition, Hit and Run Causing Injury, Evading Law Enforcement Officers, and Disregarding Safety. The 26-year-old officer who was wounded during the incident has since returned to duty.
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On September 17 just after 1:50 p.m., a 27-year-old deputy sheriff working on behalf of the Rancho Cordova Police Department (RCPD) was killed and another deputy sheriff was wounded while answering a call for service. [RCPD police services are provided under contract by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department (SCSD).] At 1:44 p.m., the SCSD communications center received a call from someone at an automotive parts store in Rancho Cordova regarding a disturbance involving a customer threatening store employees. Dispatch radioed the two deputies, who arrived on the scene simultaneously in separate patrol vehicles. Once inside the store, the deputies, who were both dressed in RCPD uniforms, attempted to speak to the suspect, but he ignored their questions and walked away from them. The deputies pursued him, but the suspect pulled a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun from the front area of his clothing and pointed it at the deputies and a store employee. The suspect shot the employee once in the back, then began shooting at the deputies. The 27-year-old deputy, who had 4 years of law enforcement experience and was wearing body armor at the time of the incident, attempted to move to cover, but the suspect pursued him, shooting two rounds from close range into the deputy’s rear upper torso/back and in the rear of his head. Meanwhile, the other deputy, who was 28 years old and had more than 3 years of law enforcement experience, fired at the suspect as he ran outside the building. The deputy took cover, reloaded her handgun, and continued to scan the area for the suspect. The suspect re-entered the building through a service door, flanking the deputy. The suspect and the deputy, who was also wearing body armor, again exchanged gunfire, during which the deputy was wounded in the arms/hands. The suspect, who was wounded in the left leg, fled the store. Responding deputies encountered the suspect as he was running along the road, so they exited their patrol vehicle and ordered him to stop. He refused and continued running. The deputies got back into their patrol vehicle and continued the pursuit as the suspect ran into a nearby parking lot. When the deputies spotted him again, they saw that he was carrying a firearm. They stopped and exited the patrol vehicle, and the suspect began firing at them. The deputies returned gunfire, and the suspect sustained a wound to the back, falling to the ground. The suspect was taken into custody and transported to an area hospital, where he received treatment for his injuries. While these events were transpiring, the 28-year-old deputy began rendering first aid to the severely injured 27-year-old deputy at the automotive parts store. Personnel from the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department arrived and continued life-saving efforts, but the deputy succumbed to his head injury. The 28-year-old deputy was admitted to the hospital for treatment of her injuries and had not returned to duty at the time this report was submitted to the FBI. The 38-year-old suspect was on probation at the time of the incident and was known to law enforcement as being a user of a controlled substance with a history of violence and mental illness. He was charged with Murder, Attempted Murder, and Felon/Addict in Possession of a Firearm. His criminal history included arrests for assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, a weapons violation, and a drug law violation.
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A 33-year-old corporal with the Newman Police Department was killed just before 1 a.m. on December 26 while conducting a traffic stop involving a person suspected of driving under the influence. Shortly before the traffic stop, a citizen informed the corporal about encountering a driver who was possibly intoxicated leaving a liquor store. The corporal responded to the area and observed a truck matching the description given by the complainant driving down a major street in Newman. The corporal, a veteran of law enforcement with nearly 9 years of experience, conducted a traffic stop and reported his position to the radio dispatcher. The corporal approached the truck on the driver’s side and spoke to the driver, the sole occupant, who indicated he did not speak English. The corporal requested a backup unit and a Spanish translator via radio. As the corporal walked away from the truck, the driver, who was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, fired at the corporal with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun at close range, circumventing his body armor twice. One round struck the corporal in the left upper forearm and entered through the shoulder area of his body armor into his front upper torso/chest, wounding him. The victim corporal retreated to the rear of the truck while the offender fired four more rounds, striking the corporal in the side of his head, rear upper torso/back, and rear lower torso/back. The victim corporal fired two rounds from his .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun while fleeing from the gunfire, one round struck the truck, then his weapon malfunctioned. The victim corporal radioed that he had been shot and needed assistance. He died from his wounds that day. After the shooting, the offender fled. He had a previous arrest for driving under the influence. The 31-year-old offender, a citizen of Mexico, was arrested on December 28 and charged with Murder.
Shortly after 7 p.m. on January 24, a senior deputy with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office was shot and killed while pursuing a suspect in response to a burglary in progress call in Thornton. The 31-year-old deputy, a veteran of law enforcement with 7 years’ experience, observed a male matching the description of one of the suspects. When the deputy attempted to establish contact with the suspect, the suspect fled. The deputy aired over the radio that he was on foot pursuit and that another deputy was assisting. While running, they observed the suspect reach for his waistband, and the deputy announced they were police and ordered him to stop. The officers lost sight of the suspect as he turned a corner. As the officers searched the area, the 22-year-old suspect opened fire from a concealed location with a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun, and the victim deputy was shot in the front legs/feet and fatally in the front upper torso/chest when the bullet entered through the armhole/shoulder area of his body armor. The victim deputy was able to return gunfire with four rounds and the assisting officer fired three rounds before his weapon malfunctioned. The suspect—who had a criminal history that included charges for weapon and drug law violations, assault on a law enforcement officer, and a violent crime—fled the area but was located and apprehended a block away. He was charged with First-Degree Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer, First-Degree Murder, Felony Murder, and First-Degree Burglary.
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A 34-year-old senior deputy with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office was killed, and three additional law enforcement officers were injured, while attempting to restrain and control a suspect during an investigative activity shortly before 4 p.m. on February 5 in Colorado Springs. The deputy, an 11-year veteran of law enforcement, was part of a multiagency motor vehicle theft task force. Earlier that afternoon, the task force was notified of a stolen vehicle that had been spotted in several areas throughout El Paso County. Task force members found the vehicle at an apartment complex, even though the suspect stopped at several locations and spray painted it in an attempt to disguise it. Members of the task force identified the suspect alone in the parking lot. The 34-year-old deputy and a 29-year-old deputy approached the suspect as he walked to the stolen vehicle. The two deputies grabbed the suspect and attempted to take him into custody. The suspect pulled out a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and shot the 29-year-old deputy once in the front lower torso/abdomen below his body armor. The suspect wrestled with the 34-year-old deputy and continued firing his weapon, fatally striking him in the rear upper torso/back and the front upper torso/chest above his body armor. A 45-year-old sergeant with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and a 44-year-old detective with the Colorado Springs Police Department, both members of the task force and also wearing body armor, exchanged gunfire with the suspect. Both the sergeant and detective were injured. Despite his injuries, the detective returned gunfire striking the 19-year-old suspect in the front upper torso/chest, justifiably killing him. The suspect had previous arrests for a drug law violation and theft and was a known or suspected gang member. The sergeant, a 16-year veteran of law enforcement, recovered from minor injuries to his rear below the waist/buttocks and rear legs and has returned to duty. The 29-year-old deputy, an 8-year veteran of law enforcement, suffered severe wounds to the front lower torso/abdomen. The detective, a 21-year veteran of law enforcement, sustained severe injuries to the front below waist/groin area. Neither the 29-year-old deputy nor the detective has returned to duty. A bystander was also struck and paralyzed by a round fired by the suspect.
On April 19 at 3:01 p.m., two officers with the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office were feloniously killed in an ambush (entrapment/premeditation) in Trenton. A 25-year-old deputy sheriff and a 29-year-old sergeant were on their meal break at a local restaurant when a subject entered the establishment armed with a .223-caliber semiautomatic rifle, which was concealed at his right side. Without warning, the subject fired 14 rounds, striking each officer seven times as they sat waiting for their orders. The veteran deputy, who had 5 years of law enforcement experience, was struck in the front upper torso/chest, front legs/feet, and fatally in the front of his head. The sergeant, a law enforcement veteran with 7 years of experience, was struck in the side of his head, front upper torso/chest, arms/hands, and fatally in the front of his head. The body armor of each officer was circumvented when rounds entered between the vests’ side panels. The 59-year-old subject returned to his vehicle where he fatally shot himself in the head with a 9 mm handgun before responding units arrived. His criminal history included an arrest for a weapons violation.
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A 40-year-old deputy sheriff with the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office was fatally wounded on May 6 at 7:35 p.m. while answering a call for service. The deputy, who was a field training officer, and a trainee responded to a complainant in Lake Placid, who reported that her cat had been shot. The complainant told the officer the name of a neighbor whom she suspected of the shooting. The deputy advised the trainee to stay with the complainant while he walked to the individual’s residence. The veteran deputy, who had more than 9 years of law enforcement experience, spoke with the individual and radioed his personal information to the dispatch center. The dispatcher informed the deputy the individual was on probation for a previous felony. The deputy asked the dispatcher to contact the probation officer and connect their telephones. At this point, the dispatcher lost contact with the deputy, and the trainee reported hearing five to seven muffled shots. Responding officers encountered the suspect in his garage with his vehicle’s engine running, in the process of leaving the scene. Officers took the suspect into custody and located the injured deputy, who had been struck at close range by four rounds to the front and side of his head above his body armor. Officers believe the suspect came to the door armed with a .22-caliber revolver and fired a fatal shot to the side of the deputy’s head and three rounds after the deputy was incapacitated. Two additional rounds went through the screen door. The deputy succumbed to his wounds on May 7. The 69-year-old suspect was charged with First-Degree Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer and Second-Degree Possession of a Weapon by a Convicted Felon. His criminal history included prior arrests for assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, a weapons violation, and a violent crime.
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A 29-year-old police officer with the Fort Myers Police Department (FMPD) was fatally wounded on July 21 while responding to a call for service. The incident began at 7:16 p.m. when a complainant called 911 to report a suspect who provoked an altercation with three young men filling their vehicle’s fuel tank at a gas station. Five officers answered the call for service. The 29-year-old officer spoke with the complainant, who explained that two of the men were “minding their own business,” when the suspect approached the man in the front passenger seat in an aggressive manner, yelling at him. One of the vehicle’s occupants was inside the convenience store. When he returned to the vehicle, he attempted to pull the suspect away from his companion. The suspect lunged into the vehicle, stole a cell phone from inside, and fled across the street. The three young men returned to their vehicle and left the parking lot in search of the suspect. After speaking with the complainant, all of the officers left the gas station to search the area for the suspect. At approximately 7:29 p.m., a lieutenant located the suspect and was joined by the 29-year-old officer, who had nearly 3 years of law enforcement experience and was wearing body armor. The officer’s body camera recorded the suspect face down on the ground with a silver cell phone beside him. Both the lieutenant and the officer repeatedly told the suspect to stand up and speak with them, but he would not comply. At that point, one of the three men initially involved in the altercation at the gas station drove up with his brother, parked alongside the officers, got out, and spoke with the officers. The suspect got up and lunged toward the vehicle, prompting one of the two men to move toward the suspect in an attempt to keep him from entering the vehicle. The suspect turned and ran north. The officer pursued him. When the officer caught up with the suspect, the suspect slowed his pace, turned around, and struck the officer, knocking him to the ground. While the officer was on the ground, the suspect hovered over him, hitting him again before pulling the officer’s duty weapon from his holster, and firing six rounds from the .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun. One round struck the officer, wounding the rear and side of his head. The lieutenant radioed for assistance and rushed to render aid to the fallen officer. Another responding officer located the suspect running back to the gas station with a firearm in his hand. The responding officer’s patrol vehicle had a dashboard camera, and he was also wearing a body camera. Once at the gas station, the suspect shattered the glass front door, entered the store using the side door, and attempted to climb over the counter and hide. The store owner told him to leave. The suspect cocked the firearm and told the store owner that he had been shot, then exited the building and aimed the firearm in the direction of another officer outside. The officer fired several rounds from his rifle, striking the suspect in the upper leg. The suspect fell to his stomach with the firearm still clenched in his hand. Additional officers arrived on scene and instructed the suspect to drop the weapon, show his hands, and place his hands behind his back. The suspect looked around at the officers for a moment before complying. Officers recovered the victim officer’s weapon from the ground near the suspect and took the suspect into custody. Meanwhile, an officer transported the wounded officer to a local hospital where he underwent surgery. The victim officer did not recover from the injury to the side of his head and died on July 28. The 29-year-old suspect was also transported to the hospital immediately following the incident. He remained under police supervision while in the hospital. He was arrested on July 29 and charged with First-Degree Premeditated Homicide-Murder; Attempted First-Degree Murder; Robbery, No Firearm or Weapon; Resisting Officer with Violence; Burglary Unoccupied Conveyance, Unarmed; Larceny/Grand Theft, $300 to Less Than $5,000; Aggravated Assault on Law Enforcement Officer; and Obstruct Police, Deprive of Means of Protection or Communication. The suspect, a citizen of Haiti, had prior arrests including a weapons violation, a drug law violation, burglary, smuggling, a violent crime, and resisting arrest. At the time of the incident, he was on conditional release pending criminal prosecution and under the influence of alcohol and another unknown dangerous drug/substance.
A 26-year-old Locust Grove Police Department (LGDP) patrol officer with nearly 5 years of law enforcement experience was shot and killed and two deputy sheriffs with the Henry County Sheriff’s Office were injured while attempting to gain control of a suspect around 10:55 a.m. on February 9. The two deputies, ages 48 and 62, were at a residence attempting to execute an arrest warrant on a suspect who failed to appear on a city ordinance violation. The suspect refused to comply with the deputies’ requests, so they radioed for assistance to take him into custody. When the LGDP officer arrived at the scene, the three officers, who were all wearing body armor, attempted to take the suspect into custody; however, the suspect resisted and retreated into his residence. The officers followed the suspect into the residence, and the man took a blunt object and struck the 62-year-old deputy in the head. The suspect then took out a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun and fired at all three officers. The patrol officer was shot in the neck/throat, front upper torso/chest, and fatally in the side of the head. The deputy who was struck with the blunt object had fallen to the floor, but he was able to return gunfire, striking and justifiably killing the 39-year-old suspect. Both deputies were taken to a local hospital for treatment of their injuries. The 48-year-old deputy, a veteran of law enforcement with nearly 20 years of experience, suffered wounds to the side of his head and front lower torso/abdomen. He has since returned to duty. The 62-year-old deputy, also a veteran of law enforcement with 14 years’ experience, suffered injuries to the front of his head and front lower torso/abdomen. At the time this incident was reported to the FBI, he had not returned to duty.
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The chief of police of the Ludowici Police Department was killed at 7:30 p.m. on September 15 while answering a call for service for traffic control. The 69-year-old chief, a 23-year veteran of law enforcement, was struck by a vehicle as he attempted to stop traffic and pedestrians from entering a roadway during a vehicle pursuit that began in a nearby county. Deputies from the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, the Long County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia State Police were in pursuit of a vehicle that was headed toward Ludowici at speeds exceeding 100 mph. Deputies had deployed spike strips along the route, and despite the rear driver’s side tire being punctured, the vehicle continued to flee at speeds of 90 to 100 mph. The chief was attempting to clear traffic at the intersection as the vehicle approached. The driver of the vehicle targeted the chief, intentionally hitting him. The vehicle then left the roadway and fatally struck a motorcyclist at an adjacent gasoline station before it came to rest. The driver attempted to flee on foot but was quickly apprehended by state troopers. The chief was transported by ambulance to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The 23-year-old driver was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. He was transported to a hospital, where he was treated and released before being charged with Murder, First-Degree Homicide by Vehicle, Fleeing or Attempting to Elude Police for a Felony Offense, Driving Under the Influence, Speeding, Reckless Driving, Hit and Run Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, Failure to Report an Accident with Injury or Damage, and Weaving Over the Roadway. He had a criminal history including burglary and a violent crime.
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At 2:32 p.m. on October 20 in Snellville, a 30-year-old senior police officer with the Gwinnett County Police Department was fatally wounded while investigating a report of approximately four suspicious persons who were believed to be smoking drugs in a vehicle. The officer, who had more than 2 years of law enforcement experience, was one of several officers who responded to the call and approached the vehicle to investigate. As officers neared the vehicle, someone from within the vehicle fired six rounds from a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun. The senior police officer was wearing body armor, but he suffered injuries to his arms/hands, front upper torso/chest, front lower torso/abdomen, and, fatally, to his neck/throat. The senior police officer fired four rounds from his duty weapon, and other responding officers fired an additional six rounds, but the suspect fled in the vehicle. Other officers at the scene pulled the injured officer to cover. He was transported to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries later that day. Soon afterward, additional officers found the suspect vehicle crashed, and a witness to the crash gave officers a physical description of one of the occupants. Shortly thereafter, officers located a suspect nearby matching the description. When officers attempted to make contact with the suspect, he produced a handgun and attempted to fire at the officers. The officers returned gunfire, but the suspect fled again. During investigation at the first scene, officers discovered blood in multiple areas. A witness gave officers a physical description of a person who was seen running in the area immediately following the incident. The next day, based on information from another witness, officers identified all three of the vehicle’s occupants. Officers attained the necessary arrest warrants, and on October 21, the suspect who fired at officers at the site of the vehicle crash was arrested. The following day, officers acted on a tip about the whereabouts of the other suspect, and they found him hiding in a storage shed of a residence. When officers attempted to take him into custody, he ignored verbal commands and made movements with a lawnmower blade that caused officers to fear for their lives. Officers shot and justifiably killed the suspect. It was later found that the suspect sustained a gunshot wound to his hand at the initial scene of the crime; hence the blood evidence. The 18-year-old suspect was a known or suspected gang member with an arrest history including charges for theft and a drug law violation. At the time of the incident, he was on conditional release pending prosecution and under the influence of marijuana.
On July 17, a police officer with the Hawaii County Police Department was killed while answering a call for service in Mountain View. At 9:47 p.m., officers began communicating with each other via radio about a wanted suspect possibly parked alongside the highway. While responding to an unrelated call, one officer replied that he had seen a blue sedan parked in the same area with a single occupant in the driver’s seat. Four officers responded to the scene in separate vehicles. Three officers parked behind the suspect vehicle and walked to the rear of it but could not see inside because of the vehicle’s dark window tint. A fourth officer arrived and parked 10 feet in front of the suspect vehicle to illuminate it with his headlights. The officers could clearly see the empty passenger and back seats, but the driver’s seat and headrest were not visible. This led the officers to believe that the seat was fully reclined. One officer knocked on the trunk of the suspect vehicle and saw the driver’s seat pop up with a male sitting inside. Twice, the occupant opened the door about a foot, then closed it while ignoring the officers’ commands to exit the vehicle. Officers could see him moving inside the vehicle but could not tell what he was doing. The driver’s door opened a third time, and officers saw a single hand come up and out of the door. The driver said he was coming out of the vehicle. The 46-year-old officer, who was wearing body armor, walked to the driver’s side door, and the suspect immediately fired five rounds from a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun, striking the officer in the front below his waist/groin area and fatally in his neck/throat. The other officers returned gunfire, but the suspect fled on foot. Despite a canvass of the area, the suspect remained at large. The victim officer, a veteran of law enforcement with nearly 10 years’ experience, died the next day. On July 18, a multijurisdictional task force issued a media release seeking information from the public and began searching for the suspect by contacting confidential sources and informants. Using telephone numbers obtained from confidential sources, investigators narrowed the search to a single phone line and tracked it to the southern point of Hawaii Island. On July 20, the Special Response Team began screening vehicles departing the area. At 2:45 a.m., the team checked a vehicle with a male driver and two female passengers. The officers thought the rear cargo compartment looked staged, with a blanket covering the back and groceries propped up in front of it. Two team members opened the rear hatch, patted the blanket, and noticed movement under it. Suddenly, two rounds were fired from under the blanket in the direction of the officers. One team member fell backward, and the other returned gunfire. Two other team members also returned gunfire. A female emerged from under the blanket with her arms raised, and the body of a male rolled out of the compartment, justifiably killed by the officers’ gunfire. The male was identified as the suspect who had killed the officer 3 days prior. The suspect was 33 years old and was on probation and conditional release pending criminal prosecution at the time of the incident. He was known to possess and use controlled substances, and his criminal history included incarceration and previous arrests for a drug law violation, a weapons violation, other crime of violence, and resisting arrest. Investigators suspect this was a suicide-by-cop incident. The wounded Special Response Team officer sustained a gunshot wound to his front upper torso/chest and has since been released from the hospital.
A 53-year-old commander with the Chicago Police Department was killed just before 2 p.m. on February 13 while answering a call for service. The veteran commander, who had more than 31 years of law enforcement experience, was attending training when the call came in. Moments earlier, a tactical team had observed a suspicious individual in the vicinity of the commander’s training facility. The individual fled, and tactical officers described the individual over the radio. The commander responded to the radio call, encountered the individual, and a confrontation ensued. Because of his planned activities that day, the commander was not wearing body armor when the individual fired multiple rounds from a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun, striking him in the front of his head, side of his head, neck/throat, front upper torso/chest, arms/hands, and front legs/feet. He was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The 44-year-old offender was wanted at the time of the incident and had previously been incarcerated. His criminal history included charges for resisting arrest, a weapons violation, a violent crime, and a drug law violation. He was arrested and charged with First-Degree Murder, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon by a Felon, Armed Violence, and Possession of a Controlled Substance.
A 34-year-old deputy sheriff with the Boone County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) was killed while answering a call for service at 9:40 a.m. on March 2 in Lebanon. The incident began when Lebanon Police Department (LPD) officers attempted to serve a warrant, and three suspects fled in a vehicle. A pursuit involving the LPD and the BCSO ensued. At some point during the pursuit, a suspect exited the vehicle and began to flee on foot. The veteran deputy, who had more than 7 years of law enforcement experience, and his K-9 partner left their vehicle and chased after the fleeing suspect. As the deputy, who was wearing body armor, rounded the corner of a building, the suspect turned and fired three rounds from a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun. One round struck the deputy in the front of the head. The suspect then ran between buildings and encountered responding officers, who fired seven rounds, one of which struck the suspect in the side. The victim deputy was taken to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on March 5. The 21-year-old suspect was also taken to the hospital and released on March 3. He was arrested and charged with Murder, Resisting Law Enforcement, Carrying a Handgun without a License, and Possession of Methamphetamine. The suspect, a known user of controlled substances with a prior arrest record including a drug law violation, was under the influence of marijuana and amphetamines/methamphetamines at the time of the incident.
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At 6:20 p.m. on May 4, a 45-year-old patrol officer with the Terre Haute Police Department (THPD) was shot and killed while investigating a homicide that occurred earlier in the day. An off-duty officer located the homicide suspect at a gas station, radioed for assistance, and followed the suspect and a female companion to a nearby apartment complex. A number of THPD officers, including the patrol officer, joined the off-duty officer at the apartment complex and confronted the suspect as he entered the female’s apartment. The officers ordered the suspect to get on the ground, but the suspect failed to comply. Instead, the suspect produced a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and fired at the officers. The patrol officer, who was wearing body armor, returned gunfire with one round from his service weapon. The officers and the suspect continued to exchange gunfire. None of the officers’ rounds struck the suspect; however, one of the suspect’s rounds fatally struck the veteran patrol officer, who had 22 years of law enforcement experience, in the front of the head. The officers quickly moved the victim officer away from the scene and transported him to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced deceased. Meanwhile, officers surrounded the complex and used drones with cameras in an attempt to locate the suspect. SWAT officers arrived and used nonlethal bullets to break windows to aid in the search. The suspect’s female companion called the officers from inside her apartment. She stated that the suspect was lying motionless on the floor in her doorway, bleeding from the head. Officers instructed the female to retrieve the suspect’s weapon, place it in a plastic bag, and exit the complex with her hands in the air. She complied, and officers transported her away from the scene. She was taken into custody and charged with Obstruction of Justice for her role in the homicide earlier in the day. Around 9:30 p.m., SWAT officers entered the complex and discovered the deceased 21-year-old suspect with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The suspect, who was under the influence of stimulants and was on probation at the time of the incident, had a prior criminal record that included a weapons violation and a drug law violation.
On June 15, two deputy sheriffs with the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office sustained fatal injuries while transporting prisoners in Kansas City. At 11:16 a.m., the deputies exited their transport vehicle to access a fenced transport dock containing inmates. While handcuffed in front of his body and with his legs shackled, one of the inmates grabbed the 35-year-old deputy’s service weapon, a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun. The deputy, a veteran with 6 years of law enforcement experience, contacted radio dispatch. The 44-year-old deputy, a veteran with 9 years of law enforcement experience, drew her service weapon. Using the deputy’s firearm, the inmate fired one round at the 35-year-old deputy, fatally striking him in the front of his head. The 44-year-old deputy fired at the inmate, striking him three times; the inmate fired one round at the 44-year-old deputy, fatally striking her in the rear of her head. Both deputies were wearing body armor. Other law enforcement officers responded to the scene and found the two deputies on the ground inside the transport dock’s fence; the wounded inmate was on his back next to the transport vehicle. Two firearms were on the ground between the wounded inmate and the 44-year-old deputy. Another inmate was standing on the raised portion of the dock with his hands raised. Officers detained the nearby inmate, secured the two firearms, and evacuated the wounded deputies and the wounded inmate to receive medical care. Both deputy sheriffs succumbed to their wounds later that day. The 30-year-old inmate was arrested and charged with two counts of Capital Murder and Aggravated Robbery. He was on probation at the time of the incident and had a criminal history including a charge for murder and a drug law violation.
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On September 16 at 1:22 p.m., a 41-year-old deputy sheriff with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office responded to a complaint about a suspicious person trying to steal a four-wheeler in rural Sedgwick County. The deputy, an 18-year law enforcement veteran, located the suspect 4 miles from the original scene. The suspect’s truck had broken down, and a family member of the original complainant had stopped to assist. The deputy began to question the suspect, who was standing outside the open passenger door of the truck. During the questioning, the suspect, who was known to the sheriff’s office as being a dealer of controlled substances, showed his holstered firearm to the deputy. The deputy removed the .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun from the suspect’s holster and placed it in the bed of the truck. Coincidentally, the deputy had taken a report about the theft of the same firearm 4 hours earlier. The deputy attempted to take the suspect into custody, but the suspect struggled, grabbed the handgun from the bed of the truck, and fired three rounds at the deputy. One of the rounds struck the deputy in the front upper torso/chest, circumventing his body armor. The deputy drew his service weapon and pursued the suspect into a ditch. The deputy shot the suspect four times—justifiably killing him—before succumbing to his own injuries. Initial responding units found the deputy’s body at the feet of the deceased 29-year-old suspect. The suspect’s criminal history included charges for a drug law violation and other violent crime. He had also been previously incarcerated.
Just after 11 p.m. on March 13, a 35-year-old patrol officer with the Pikeville Police Department was shot and killed when an investigation of a suspicious person became an ambush. The veteran officer, who had more than 11 years of law enforcement experience, was accompanying a Kentucky state trooper to a residence to investigate an individual with regard to a stolen vehicle. When the officer and trooper arrived at the house, they encountered some individuals in a vehicle in the driveway. The trooper went to speak with these people, and the officer went to the front door and knocked in an effort to locate the suspect. With no response at the door, the officer noticed footprints in the snow that led to the back of the house. The officer, who was wearing body armor, followed the footprints as the trooper continued interviewing the individuals in the driveway. Shortly after the officer disappeared from view, the trooper heard shots fired. He called for assistance and followed the sounds of gunfire. Additional officers responded to the scene and the victim officer was found a short time later, near an outbuilding of an adjacent residence, fatally shot in the front of the head by a .45-caliber automatic handgun. The 55-year-old suspect, a known felon who had a history of violence and drug law violations, was located the next day. He was arrested and charged with First-Degree Murder, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Possession of a Stolen Firearm. At the time of the incident, the suspect was under the influence of amphetamines/methamphetamines.
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On March 29 at 5:12 p.m., a Hopkinsville Police Department patrol officer was shot and killed while he was off-duty but acting in an official capacity. The 38-year-old veteran officer, who had 12 years of law enforcement experience, was driving his personal vehicle in a residential neighborhood in Hopkinsville when a vehicle with flashing red and blue lights approached his vehicle from the rear. The officer pulled off to the side of the road so the vehicle could pass, then he followed it. He used his cell phone to call his immediate supervisor and requested an on-duty uniformed officer to respond to his location. The officer followed the vehicle until it turned onto a dead-end street. He parked at the end of the street while awaiting backup and observed the suspect’s vehicle parked in a driveway. Once the backup officer arrived, the two officers approached the residence and saw the suspect, who seemed to be working under the hood of the vehicle. The uniformed officer spoke with bystanders as the unarmed, off-duty officer moved toward the suspect and identified himself as an officer. The suspect pulled a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun from his pocket and fired four rounds at the officer at close range. Three rounds struck the officer in the front upper torso/chest, killing him. The 35-year-old suspect fled on foot, then stole a vehicle in a nearby neighborhood. The next day, authorities located the suspect in Clarksville, Tennessee. During a confrontation, the suspect brandished a handgun and was justifiably killed by law enforcement. The suspect had prior arrests for a drug law violation, a weapons violation, and a violent crime. He was known to law enforcement as a possessor, user, and dealer of a controlled substance and, at the time of the incident, was an escapee from prison.
A 41-year-old reserve officer with the Zachary Police Department was struck and killed by a vehicle on March 12 while assisting in the execution of a warrant for a wanted person. At 7:54 p.m., the reserve officer, who was wearing body armor, along with another officer, was attempting to arrest a man wanted on a warrant for second-degree battery, felon possessing a firearm, and aggravated assault with a firearm. The suspect was spotted in a rental cargo truck in the parking lot of a department store in Baker. The officers split up and were approaching the driver and passenger sides of the truck, when the suspect became aware of them and accelerated forward. Witnesses saw the reserve officer on the passenger side of the truck falling as if hit by the vehicle and then being struck by the rear tires, sustaining multiple injuries. The veteran reserve officer, who had 10 years of law enforcement experience, died from his wounds. The 33-year-old suspect, who had a history of arrests for murder, resisting arrest, a violent crime, a drug violation, and a weapons violation, was apprehended and charged with First-Degree Murder of a Police Officer, Hit and Run, Criminal Damage to Property, and Fugitive from Justice. A companion who was in the vehicle with the suspect was also arrested and charged with Obstruction of Justice.
A 61-year-old corporal with the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office was killed while attempting to make an arrest in Norridgewock at 1:42 a.m. on April 25. The corporal, a veteran of law enforcement with nearly 14 years of experience, had probable cause to arrest the suspect for trafficking cocaine based on a previous encounter. The suspect was known to law enforcement as being a user, dealer, and possessor of a controlled substance. The corporal located the suspect, who was on conditional release pending criminal prosecution, at a known previous address. While the corporal was attempting to arrest him, the suspect pulled out a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and fired one round at close range, striking the victim corporal’s neck/throat above his body armor, fatally wounding him. On April 28, law enforcement officers located and arrested the 29-year-old suspect at a remote hunting cabin he had broken into. He was charged with Intentional Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer. His criminal history included previous incarceration and arrests for a weapons violation and a drug law violation.
At 10:15 a.m. on February 21, a corporal with the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGCPD) was killed while answering a call for service in Brandywine. The 51-year-old corporal was off-duty when a female in a domestic dispute asked for his assistance. The veteran corporal, who had more than 14 years of law enforcement experience, confronted a male in the dispute. Within seconds, the male fired five rounds from a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun. One round struck the corporal in the front of the head. The offender then approached the victim corporal, took his service weapon, a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun, and fled the scene in a vehicle. Minutes later, officers arrived at the scene of the domestic dispute and found the victim corporal critically wounded in the roadway. The victim corporal died shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, responding officers issued a lookout for the offender. At 10:38 a.m., deputies with the Charles County Sheriff’s Department located the offender’s vehicle, and along with officers from Prince George’s County, pursued the vehicle until it was forced to stop in traffic in Fort Washington. At 10:44 a.m., the offender, armed with the victim corporal’s service weapon, exited the car and fled on foot toward a wooded area. PGCPD officers exchanged gunfire with the offender, fatally wounding him. The 37-year-old offender was known to the department as a suspect in a domestic violence case and had a criminal history that included a weapons violation, a drug law violation, and a violent crime.
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A 29-year-old police officer with the Baltimore County Police Department sustained fatal injuries while responding to a burglary-in-progress call in Nottingham on May 21. Just before 2 p.m., the officer, who had nearly 4 years of law enforcement experience and was wearing body armor at the time of the incident, was outside of her patrol vehicle giving orders to the driver of the suspect vehicle when the driver drove directly at her. The victim officer was struck by the vehicle and received multiple injuries, resulting in her death. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene and abandoned the vehicle in close proximity. The 16-year-old suspect, who was on conditional release pending criminal prosecution at the time of the incident, was located nearby and was arrested and charged with First-Degree Murder and First-Degree Burglary. The suspect’s criminal history included a violent crime.
On April 12 at 2:23 p.m., a 32-year-old K-9 police officer with the Yarmouth Police Department (YPD) was fatally wounded while answering a call for service. The officer and his K-9 partner were both shot attempting to execute an arrest warrant. The YPD had developed information from a confidential informant regarding the location of the suspect at a residence in Marstons Mills. Upon arriving at the residence, responding officers heard movement in the attic and conducted a sweep, then left the attic and set up a perimeter around the residence. After hearing more movement in the attic, the officer, a veteran of law enforcement with nearly 8 years of experience, and his K-9 partner entered the attic. The suspect immediately fired four rounds from a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun, striking the officer, who was wearing body armor, once in the front of his head at close range. The K-9 was also struck in the head. Other officers pulled the victim officer from the residence. Emergency services transported the victim officer to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Meanwhile, officers contacted the suspect by cell phone. The suspect wanted to speak with his girlfriend. Officers contacted the girlfriend, who said the suspect had been calling and text messaging her that day. She came to the scene and assisted officers in getting the suspect to exit the residence. The 29-year-old suspect was taken into custody at 5:30 p.m. and charged with First-Degree Murder. He was known to law enforcement to deal and possess controlled substances and had a criminal history that included a probation violation, drug law violation, weapons violation, and a violent crime. The K-9 was taken to a veterinary hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. He has since recovered from his wounds but has been retired from law enforcement service.
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On July 15, a 42-year-old patrol officer with the Weymouth Police Department (WPD) was feloniously killed while investigating suspicious persons or circumstances. At approximately 7:45 a.m., the WPD received a 911 complaint regarding a person driving an older model sedan and running over lane markers into oncoming traffic at an excessive speed. Minutes after the call, the sedan struck a stationary vehicle while attempting to make a right-hand turn. The driver exited the sedan, apologized to the operator of the vehicle he had hit, and fled the scene on foot. Nearby cameras captured the driver’s flight through backyards in the neighborhood. Meanwhile, the 42-year-old patrol officer arrived at the scene of the vehicle crash. The veteran officer, who had 6 years of law enforcement experience, spotted the subject standing in the side yard of a residence throwing a large landscaping rock through a window. The officer exited his patrol vehicle, and the subject picked up another large rock and charged at the officer. From a distance of 10 to 12 feet, the subject threw the rock at the officer, striking him in the head and causing him to fall to the ground and drop his duty weapon. The subject picked up the officer’s 9 mm semiautomatic handgun, stood over the officer, and fired approximately 15 rounds. Five of the rounds struck the officer above and below his body armor in the front lower torso/abdomen and fatally in the side of his head. Another officer arrived and saw the subject standing over the injured officer with firearm in hand. The responding officer fired at the subject and struck him once in the leg. The subject fled the area on foot, still in possession of the firearm. While he was being pursued by other officers, the subject entered the backyard of a nearby house, walked onto the driveway, and fired three rounds into a large picture window. One of the rounds struck an elderly occupant in the chest, and she was later pronounced dead. Assisting officers took the 20-year-old subject into custody soon after; he was still in possession of the victim officer’s firearm. The subject was charged with two counts of First-Degree Murder, Malicious Destruction of Property, Illegal Possession of a Firearm, Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle, and Leaving the Scene of Property Damage. At the time of the incident, the subject was on conditional release pending criminal prosecution. He was known to the Weymouth Police Department for being a dealer of a controlled substance and having a mental illness. His criminal history included arrests for vandalizing property and resisting arrest.
A 25-year-old police officer with the Detroit Police Department was fatally wounded while answering a call for service for domestic violence with reports of gunfire on January 24. Just after 10:30 p.m., the officer, who had nearly 2 years of law enforcement experience and who was in the passenger seat in the patrol vehicle, approached the area of the call. The officer driving the police vehicle heard a male voice yelling and a gunshot. He then observed the officer in the passenger seat, who was wearing body armor, was unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the side of his head. The officer communicated the circumstances via radio and attempted to evade other gunfire as he immediately traveled to a local hospital. Two additional police units responding to the area of the call were met with gunfire that struck their cars and required them to seek cover. The 43-year-old suspect barricaded himself inside the residence. The Detroit Police Special Response Team attempted to negotiate for several hours before deploying tear gas into the residence. At that time, the suspect surrendered and was arrested. The victim officer succumbed to his wound, from what was determined to be from a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun, on January 28. The suspect was charged with First-Degree Murder, Murder of a Peace Officer, Resisting/Obstructing Causing Death, and Felony Firearm. He had a prior criminal history including a violent crime and a drug law violation.
A corporal and a patrol officer with the Brookhaven Police Department were shot and killed while conducting an investigative activity around 4:50 a.m. on September 29. Following a report of shots fired at a residence, the 31-year-old veteran corporal, who had 7 years of law enforcement experience, and the 35-year-old veteran patrol officer, who had 8 years of law enforcement experience, simultaneously arrived at the scene shortly before 4:50 a.m. They located a vehicle with bullet-hole damage near a residence. While investigating the surrounding area, the corporal and patrol officer, who were both wearing body armor, approached an outbuilding. As they examined the building, a subject appeared and began firing a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun in the direction of the patrol officer, who was hit in the front of his head. The corporal fired his weapon at the subject and attempted to take him into custody, but the subject shot the corporal in the neck/throat. Additional officers arrived at the scene and took the subject into custody. The corporal and patrol officer were both transported to a local hospital, where both died that morning. The 25-year-old subject, who had a prior criminal record and was on parole at the time of the incident, was also taken to a local hospital for gunshot wounds. He was later charged with two counts of Capital Murder and Possession of a Weapon by a Convicted Felon.
Just past 10:30 p.m. on March 6, a domestic disturbance call turned into a deadly ambush for Clinton Police Department officers. During the incident, a 30-year-old patrol officer with more than 3 years of experience was killed, and two patrol officers were injured. At approximately 9:20 p.m., officers were dispatched to a residence to handle a disturbance. The dispatcher reported there was an open-line 911 call at the residence, and it seemed two females were in a verbal confrontation. Several officers, including the 30-year-old patrol officer, arrived and made contact with a woman who came out of the front door of the residence. She told the officers that no one was inside. Shortly after, the patrol officer and others (all of whom were wearing body armor) entered the residence to perform a public safety check and were fired upon by an individual with a 9 mm semiautomatic rifle who was hidden in the bathroom. When the gunfire began, the officers returned gunfire and quickly retreated outside the residence. The gunfire continued after the officers left the building. A quick review by the officers and radio communications revealed that the patrol officer had been struck by rounds and was still inside the residence, incapacitated. In addition, a 35-year-old veteran patrol officer with 14 years of experience and a 25-year-old patrol officer with a little more than 1 year on the job had both sustained gunshot wounds to their right arms. Both wounded officers were taken to the hospital, treated, and subsequently returned to duty. The victim officer, who was still in the residence, was rescued from the house by a joint effort of the Bates County Sheriff’s Response Team and the Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop A Swat Team. The victim officer was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced deceased from wounds to his front upper torso/chest (where a round entered through the armhole of his body armor), rear lower torso/back, legs and feet, rear legs, and a fatal shot to the front of the head. The rescue teams found the 37-year-old suspect dead in the bathroom of the residence, an apparent suicide. He was under the influence of alcohol and cocaine at the time of the incident, and he had a criminal history that included charges for resisting arrest, a drug law violation, a weapons violation, and violent crime.
Shortly after 5 a.m. on July 2, a 29-year-old trooper with the New York State Police (NYSP) was fatally injured during a tactical situation following a check on the welfare of a subject. Around 3 a.m., NYSP troopers responded to a residence in Erwin where a subject was threatening to shoot himself. The troopers checked the home, found nothing unusual, and departed. A short time later, the troopers located the subject as he was driving back toward the residence. They followed the subject and witnessed him entering the house. The troopers attempted to communicate with the subject but got no response. The trooper, who had 3 years of law enforcement experience, and his partner arrived at the residence along with deputies from the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO); they took up perimeter positions outside the home. Around 4:45 a.m., the subject broke a window from the rear of the house and fired at the troopers with a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun. A buckshot round struck the trooper, who was wearing body armor, in the front upper torso/chest, the arms/hands, the front legs/feet, and fatally in the front of his head. An SCSO deputy returned gunfire toward the rear of the house but missed the subject. The subject exited the front of the residence and encountered an NYSP negotiator and a trooper. The officers fired 18 rounds from their service weapons at the subject, causing him to retreat into the house. The NYSP Special Operations Response Team and the SCSO SWAT team arrived and entered the home. They discovered the 42-year-old subject, who had no prior arrests or judicial history, had committed suicide. Investigators suspected the incident may have been a case of suicide-by-cop. A postmortem examination revealed one round from law enforcement struck the subject in the torso causing an injury that may have been fatal had the subject not shot himself in the moments after he was justifiably shot by law enforcement.
A 38-year-old master trooper with the North Carolina Highway Patrol (NCHP) was killed during the early morning hours of October 17 near Whiteville as he attempted to conduct a traffic stop for a speeding violation. The veteran trooper, who had 12 years of law enforcement experience, stopped a truck around 12:10 a.m. When he approached the truck on foot, the driver fired multiple rounds from close range, then fled the scene. Two rounds struck the trooper in the side of his head and the front upper torso/chest. He died at the scene. A passerby discovered the trooper’s body a few minutes later and contacted the authorities. When officers arrived, they reviewed the video from the trooper’s dashboard camera and issued an all points bulletin for the truck. Approximately an hour after the shooting, a Fair Bluff Police Department officer observed the suspect’s truck. The officer and the driver engaged in a short chase followed by a foot chase before the officer lost sight of the suspect. Other officers and NCHP troopers arrived on scene and established a perimeter. At approximately 4 a.m., officers took the 20-year-old suspect into custody without incident. The suspect was on probation for firearm-related offenses. The truck had been stolen from a business in Chadbourn. In an interview conducted by special agents with North Carolina’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), the suspect said he had no knowledge of the shooting and claimed he had rented the truck from an unknown individual. He said he fled from law enforcement officers in Fair Bluff because he had been drinking and driving. The suspect was arrested and charged with First-Degree Murder.
In the following days, video footage from a gas station near Tabor City showed the suspect had been a passenger in the truck, and a second man was actually the driver. The truck had left the gas station approximately 16 minutes before the trooper was killed at the traffic stop, which happened to be the driving time between the two locations. Further investigation indicated the driver was the actual shooter. Agents with the SBI Criminal Apprehension Team accessed the new suspect’s social media accounts and telephone numbers and located him in Loris, South Carolina. On October 23, SBI agents coordinated with South Carolina authorities and took the new suspect, who was on probation, into custody without incident. The 18-year-old suspect was charged with First-Degree Murder and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon. His criminal history included incarceration for a violent crime. In a subsequent interview, the first suspect told agents that the second suspect killed the trooper and that he had previously lied because the second suspect had pointed the firearm at him several times after the shooting and threatened to kill him if he told anyone.
Two police officers with the Westerville Division of Police were killed in an ambush on February 10 shortly after noon. The officers were responding to a 911 hang-up call that involved potential domestic abuse. Officers from the division had previously responded to calls about domestic disputes at the property, which was located in a condominium community. As they entered the apartment, the occupant immediately began firing from an unknown caliber handgun, and the two officers, who were both wearing body armor, returned gunfire. The offender fired four rounds. Three rounds struck the 39-year-old officer, who was a veteran of law enforcement with 17 years’ experience. He was injured in his arms and hands and fatally in the front of his head and died at the scene. One round struck the second officer, age 54, who was a 30-year law enforcement veteran. The round entered through the armhole or shoulder area of his body armor, wounding him in the front upper torso/chest. He was evacuated by helicopter to a hospital in Columbus in critical condition and died later that day. Three of the officers’ rounds struck the 30-year-old suspect, and he was taken to a hospital. At the time the report was submitted, his condition was unknown. He had a prior criminal record that included resisting arrest, a violent crime, a weapons violation, and a previous incarceration. He was charged with two counts of Aggravated Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer.
On August 4, an investigator with the Comanche County District Attorney’s Office succumbed to injuries he received 11 years earlier. On June 18, 2007, at 6:40 a.m., the then 50-year-old investigator was assigned to the Comanche County Drug Task Force and was assisting the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (OBN) to serve a warrant in Lawton. The suspect had sold methamphetamine to undercover agents on two previous occasions and was presumed to be armed. As agents attempted to breach the door of the residence where the suspect was located, the suspect opened fire from inside the building, shooting through the door and striking the investigator in the front lower torso/abdomen below his body armor. Another OBN agent was also injured. Other agents returned gunfire and justifiably killed the 43-year-old suspect, who had prior arrests including a weapons violation and other crime of violence. The investigator’s resulting spinal cord injury rendered him a paraplegic. His health continued to deteriorate, and he died from complications on August 4, 2018, at the age of 61.
On March 21 at 1 p.m., a 31-year-old police officer with the Juncos Municipal Police Department was shot and killed in an altercation at a barber shop while he was off duty. The officer, who was a 9-year veteran of law enforcement, went to a local barber shop for a haircut. While the officer was waiting, three subjects entered the shop, two of them armed with rifles. A 19-year-old subject shot the barber with his rifle, and the officer justifiably shot the subject, killing him at the scene. A 23-year-old subject began firing at the officer with a .223-caliber rifle, and the officer returned gunfire. The officer was wounded in his arms/hands and fatally in his front upper torso/chest. The officer died that day. An 18-year-old subject was wounded in the exchange of gunfire, but he and the 23-year-old subject fled the scene. Both were later arrested. The 23-year-old subject was charged with two counts each of First-Degree Murder, Attempting to Commit First-Degree Murder, and Possession or Illegal Use of a Long Firearm, as well as Shooting or Aiming with a Firearm and Risk to the Security or Public Order to Shoot a Firearm. He had a previous arrest for domestic violence. The 18-year-old subject was charged with two counts each of First-Degree Murder, Attempting to Commit First-Degree Murder, and Possession or Illegal Use of a Long Firearm, and one count of Risk to the Security or Public to Shoot a Firearm. He had no previous criminal history. All three subjects were under the influence of marijuana during the incident.
A master deputy with the York County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) was killed, and two YCSO sergeants and a York Police Department (YPD) sergeant were wounded while responding to a domestic violence complaint in York on January 16. All four officers were veteran law enforcement officers and were wearing body armor during the incident. Upon arrival at the residence, responding officers learned that the armed suspect, who was under the influence of alcohol, had fled the residence. Deputies called for assistance in the search from the K-9 unit, the SWAT team, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s helicopter. When the K-9 unit arrived, they initiated a search in a wooded area near the residence. At 1:09 a.m., the suspect fired his 7.62x39 mm semiautomatic rifle at the officers and severely injured a 56-year-old YCSO sergeant with the K-9 unit in the front of his legs/feet. The sergeant, who had nearly 34 years of law enforcement experience, was transported to the hospital. The suspect also fired at and struck the helicopter but did not injure the two pilots. The suspect continued to flee. Law enforcement officers eventually located the suspect when he fired on them from under the deck of a residence in the neighborhood. Around 3:31 a.m., the suspect shot three more officers: the 37-year-old master deputy was hit in the front of his head, a 49-year-old YCSO sergeant was wounded in the front of his legs/feet, and a 34-year-old YPD sergeant sustained injuries to the front below the waist/groin area. These three victim officers were also transported to a local hospital. The master deputy, who had nearly 13 years of law enforcement experience, died the next day. The YCSO sergeant, who had 16 years of law enforcement experience, and the YPD sergeant, who had 13 ½ years of law enforcement experience, were both severely injured. Neither of these two wounded sergeants, nor the sergeant with the K-9 unit, had returned to duty at the time this report was submitted to the FBI. The 47-year-old suspect was also transported to the hospital where he was treated for injuries sustained during the incident. He was charged with Murder, three counts of Attempted Murder, and three counts of Possession of a Weapon during the Commission of a Violent Crime. His criminal history included a charge of resisting arrest.
Around 6:30 a.m. on May 30, a 32-year-old sergeant with the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) was shot and killed while answering a call for service in Dickson. The sergeant responded to a call for a welfare check on a vehicle parked on the wrong side of the road with two occupants inside who appeared to be sleeping or passed out. The veteran sergeant, who had 10 years of law enforcement experience, parked his marked patrol vehicle in front and to the side of the parked vehicle. He was wearing a body camera that recorded the incident. A female exited the passenger’s side of the vehicle; the sergeant told her to return to the car. The sergeant approached the driver’s side of the vehicle and asked the occupants for identification. Instead, the male suspect provided a Social Security number that was later found to be false. The sergeant radioed his location to a DCSO deputy then walked to the back of the vehicle and radioed the vehicle’s tag number to dispatchers. The sergeant learned the vehicle had been reported as stolen, so he returned to the driver’s side door and ordered the suspect to exit the vehicle. The suspect claimed the driver’s side door wouldn’t open, so the sergeant ordered the suspect to exit through the passenger’s side door while keeping his hands visible. As the sergeant began to walk around the back of the vehicle toward the passenger’s side, the suspect fired multiple rounds from a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun, striking the sergeant. The sergeant ran toward the back of the vehicle to find cover and attempted to radio that shots had been fired; however, after running a short distance, the sergeant collapsed. The suspect exited the vehicle, walked over to the sergeant, stood over him, and shot him several more times. The sergeant received a total of six gunshot wounds to the side of the head, the front upper torso/chest, and the arms/hands. The suspect loaded the deceased sergeant into the back seat of the patrol vehicle. The suspect, posing as the sergeant, radioed dispatchers and reported everything was fine, and a suspect was in custody. Then he drove the patrol vehicle away from the scene. A DCSO deputy used the GPS in the sergeant’s patrol vehicle to locate the vehicle in a field. Other units responded to the field and discovered the patrol vehicle was locked and filled with smoke; the suspect had started a fire inside before fleeing. Deputies broke the patrol vehicle’s window and found the victim sergeant’s body inside. The suspect had stolen the sergeant’s service weapon (a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun), backup weapon (a .357-caliber semiautomatic handgun), and pocket knife. At some point during the attack, the female passenger had fled the scene on foot. Law enforcement located her a short time later in a neighboring county and took her into custody. On June 1 after a massive search, law enforcement located the suspect sitting on the side of a road and took him into custody. The suspect’s backpack contained the victim sergeant’s backup weapon and pocket knife, as well as the .45-caliber handgun. The 31-year-old suspect was charged with First-Degree Murder, Theft, Tampering with Evidence, and Criminal Impersonation. He was known to use and possess controlled substances and was on probation at the time of the incident. The suspect had a prior criminal record that included assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, a weapons violation, violent crime, and a drug law violation.
About 7:10 p.m. on February 7, a 37-year-old police officer with the Richardson Police Department was shot and killed in an ambush (entrapment/premeditation). Officers responded to a report of shots fired at an apartment complex and found a man on the ground outside one of the apartments; he was unconscious with apparent gunshot wounds. A team of seven officers entered the apartment and were met with gunfire from a 5.56 mm semiautomatic rifle by a subject in a prone position inside the apartment. The 13-year veteran police officer, who was wearing body armor, was struck by a round in the neck/throat but was able to exit the apartment. The other officers exchanged gunfire with the subject as they exited the apartment as well. The injured police officer was taken to a local hospital where he died of his wounds the same day. The Richardson Police SWAT responded to the scene. After a standoff with the subject, SWAT members deployed tear gas into the apartment. The subject exited the apartment, and SWAT members took him into custody. The 26-year-old subject, who had a criminal history including a drug law violation and previous incarceration, was charged with Capital Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer.
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On April 24 at 4:11 p.m., a 27-year-old police officer with the Dallas Police Department (DPD) was fatally injured and a 26-year-old DPD police officer was severely injured while answering a nonemergency call for service at a home improvement store. Earlier, an off-duty police officer and a loss prevention officer had detained a subject at the store. The off-duty officer called for on-duty officers to respond to the location to confirm the subject’s identity. Upon their arrival, the two responding officers remained with the loss prevention officer and the subject while the off-duty officer went to the patrol vehicle, where he confirmed that the subject had an active felony warrant for his arrest. The off-duty officer called the loss prevention officer by phone to notify him of the warrant, and the loss prevention officer relayed the information to the two on-duty officers. The two officers attempted to handcuff the subject, but he pulled a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun from the pocket of his shorts and fired seven rounds at the officers. Both DPD officers, who were wearing body armor, were wounded in the front of their heads. The loss prevention officer began fighting with the offender over the firearm and was shot several times during the struggle. The subject fled the store, got into a truck, and left the scene. The loss prevention officer used one of the DPD officers’ radios to report two officers down and the location of the store. All three were transported to a hospital, where the 27-year-old officer, who had 3 years of law enforcement experience, died the following morning. The 26-year-old officer, who had nearly 3 years of law enforcement experience, spent three weeks in the hospital and had not yet returned to work at the time this report was submitted to the FBI. The loss prevention officer spent two weeks in the hospital before being released. Other DPD officers located the subject at his mother’s residence about 9 p.m. the night of the incident. A vehicle pursuit ensued. The 29-year-old subject was apprehended uninjured and was charged with Capital Murder, Attempted Capital Murder of a Peace Officer, Aggravated Assault Against a Public Servant, and Aggravated Assault Date/Family with a Weapon. His criminal history included incarceration and arrests for a drug law violation, auto theft, and other violent crime.
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A 41-year-old criminal intelligence (CI) officer with the Fort Worth Police Department (FWPD) lost his life shortly after midnight on September 14 while investigating a series of armed robberies occurring at bars and cantinas in the area. Days earlier, robbery detectives identified two possible suspect vehicles—a truck and an SUV—from surveillance video related to two of the robberies. The FWPD CI Unit identified the possible driver of the SUV. On September 9, a robbery detective requested a Special Response Team to locate the vehicle. Officers observed the SUV meet up with a truck matching the description of the second vehicle. The robbery detectives did not have enough information to issue arrest warrants, so they conducted surveillance on the two vehicles.
On September 13, officers from the FWPD CI Unit, Criminal Tracking Unit, Special Response Team, and Robbery Unit went out to monitor the two suspect vehicles. At approximately 9:43 p.m., the driver of the SUV picked up another man and drove to an area bar. Officers watched the driver and the passenger examine the bar and residences in the neighborhood. At 10:10 p.m., the subjects drove to a gas station and picked up another passenger. The subjects again observed the bar for about an hour. At 11:28 p.m., the SUV parked at a vacant residence, and the three subjects got out of the vehicle. At this point, the undercover officers lost sight of the subjects. At approximately midnight, the subjects entered the back patio area of the bar through a gate that opened from the alley. Two of the suspects immediately pointed handguns at the customers on the patio, forced them to the ground, and stole their money and wallets. The other suspect ran into the bar, pointed his firearm at the customers inside, and stole their valuables. The undercover officers became aware of the robbery when people began running from the bar. Officers positioned near the front entrance saw a patron run from the bar followed by a masked suspect who pointed a firearm at the patron, then returned to the bar. Meanwhile, uniformed officers in an unmarked van and truck parked close to the front and rear bumpers of the suspects’ SUV. Officers spread out around the vehicle.
The suspects fled the bar through the alley and ran toward the SUV, but when they saw the officers, they turned and fled. The officers followed. After spotting two of the suspects near the end of the alley jump up from the ground and run, officers pursed one until they lost sight of him. One officer followed a loud banging sound that came from behind a nearby residence. The officer saw a door had been kicked in and then encountered a suspect standing near the residence. The officer ordered him to put his hands in the air and lie down on the ground. The suspect complied, and officers arrested him.
At the same time, a second suspect jumped a fence behind another residence and landed within view of an officer, who ordered him to lie down. The suspect ignored the officer’s commands and continued running. One of the officers yelled, “Gun, gun, gun!” The CI officer, a veteran with 17 years of law enforcement experience, had just left the area where the first suspect was arrested and joined the pursuit for the second suspect.
At 12:06 a.m., the second suspect ran through a small opening between the front of a parked truck and the corner of a house. An overhead floodlight lit the opening, but everything beyond the hood of the truck was in darkness. Once the CI officer, who was wearing body armor, reached the opening, the suspect fired three rounds at him with a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun. The CI officer took cover and returned gunfire. One of the suspect’s rounds struck the CI officer in the front of his head, and he collapsed. Another officer returned gunfire, and the suspect fell to the ground. When the suspect began to stand up with the firearm in his hand, a third officer commanded him to stop moving, but the suspect did not comply. The two officers fired again, and the suspect fell with his firearm still in his hand. Both officers repeatedly ordered the suspect to drop his firearm, but he did not, so they held lethal cover on him in case he attempted to shoot at them again. Meanwhile, other officers carried the injured CI officer to the street, loaded him into a marked patrol vehicle, and transported him to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries later that day. After officers secured the scene, an emergency medical technician evaluated the 23-year-old suspect and pronounced him deceased. The suspect was on parole and under the influence of marijuana at the time of the incident. His criminal history included arrests for a drug law violation and a violent crime. The officers on the scene located the final suspect in a nearby garage. The suspect complied with officers’ commands to crawl out of the garage, and they took him into custody.
At 5:35 p.m. on November 24, a police officer with the South Salt Lake Police Department was fatally struck with a vehicle while responding to a reported burglary in progress. The 31-year-old police officer, who had 11 months of law enforcement experience, and another officer arrived separately to the business location where the burglary was taking place. The two officers encountered two subjects in a vehicle attempting to flee. The officers activated their emergency lights, exited their patrol vehicles, and were giving orders to the subjects as they approached the suspect vehicle on foot with firearms drawn. The subject in the driver’s seat accelerated the vehicle toward the officer, who fired five rounds from his duty weapon into the front of the vehicle. The driver struck the officer with the vehicle and drove over him while the other responding officer returned gunfire. The victim officer, who was wearing body armor, suffered multiple injuries. Two of the backup officer’s rounds struck the driver, and he crashed the vehicle a short distance away. The two subjects exited the vehicle and fled on foot; the 31-year-old driver collapsed a short distance away and was pronounced dead shortly after. The passenger was found hiding at a storage yard nearby. The victim officer was transported to an area hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries later that evening. The subject driver had a criminal history that included a drug law violation and a weapons violation.
A deputy sheriff from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) was killed on January 7 when he answered a call for service regarding a home invasion robbery in Frederickson. At 11:24 p.m., the PCSD dispatcher received a call reporting an intruder in the caller’s mobile home. The dispatcher could hear sounds of screaming and a struggle. In subsequent interviews, PCSD detectives determined that at the time of the invasion, there were three males, one female, and two small children living in the mobile home. All of the residents except for one male roommate were inside when the invasion occurred. The three adult victims reported that they heard a knock at the back door, then the doorknob being jiggled, and a kitchen window breaking. A victim reported seeing the first suspect, masked and carrying a handgun, climb through the broken window, then unlock and open the door for the second suspect, who was also masked and armed with a handgun and a long knife. One of the victims grabbed a baseball bat and struck the first suspect in the head, while another victim called 911. The first suspect struggled with the victim as the second suspect searched the house for cash and narcotics. At 11:29 p.m., the 34-year-old deputy arrived at the scene. The deputy, a veteran of law enforcement with 9 years of experience, pulled up behind two newly arrived vehicles at the residence. The deputy, who was wearing body armor, spoke with the occupants of the vehicles, who indicated one of them lived at the mobile home and the other was a friend. Meanwhile, the victims and the suspects saw the fourth roommate’s vehicle and the deputy’s patrol vehicle pull into the driveway. The suspects panicked and ran from the home as two of the victims jumped out of the windows. The deputy ordered the suspects to get on the ground, but they did not comply. At 11:33 p.m., the deputy notified dispatch that he was in pursuit of two suspects who were running through the yard toward the street. Twenty seconds later, the deputy reported shots fired. When the dispatcher replied to the deputy, there was no response. The dispatcher remotely opened the deputy’s portable radio microphone to listen for communication. At 11:37 p.m., backup deputies arrived on the scene and found the victim deputy along a path. He had been fatally shot once in the neck/throat. Deputies and medical personnel attempted life-saving measures, but the Pierce County Medical Examiner determined the victim deputy had died instantly. Deputies also located the body of a 35-year-old suspect. The suspect was wearing a ballistic vest that had been struck by four .40-caliber rounds in the torso area. The rounds were consistent with the fallen deputy’s service weapon, a semiautomatic handgun. Deputies searched the area and found a safe and a backpack that had been stolen from the residence as well as the suspect’s .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun. Further investigation determined that the suspect had fired three rounds at the victim deputy at close range; only one round struck the deputy. The suspect was known to the PCSD for previous criminal contacts and possessing a controlled substance. His criminal history included previous incarceration and a previous violent crime. Officers locked down the area in an attempt to find the second suspect. At 8:11 a.m. the next morning, a Washington State Patrol trooper working traffic control along the perimeter reported seeing a suspicious person in the area. A PCSD sergeant spoke with the person, who was wet, shivering, dirty, and appeared to be suffering from the onset of hypothermia. His pants were ripped, and he had large cuts on his hands. The suspect had a bear-spray holster and a pocketknife but was otherwise unarmed. He told officers his name and said he was walking in the area to visit his girlfriend and provided a false name. Officers determined the provided name was false and the suspect had three active warrants. He was transported to the Pierce County Jail. Detectives linked the suspect directly to the homicide using evidence such as text messages between the suspect and his girlfriend regarding the incident and video of the suspect hiding in a nearby industrial area and in a garbage can. Detectives arrested the 32-year-old suspect on January 8 and charged him with First-Degree Murder, First-Degree Kidnapping, and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm. The suspect was known to law enforcement for previous criminal contacts and as a dealer, user, and possessor of a controlled substance. His criminal history included previous incarceration and previous arrests for assault on a law enforcement officer, a drug law violation, and a violent crime. Officers also arrested a 52-year-old suspect on January 8 and charged her with First-Degree Murder and First-Degree Kidnapping. She was also known to the PCSD for other criminal complaints and had previous arrests for a drug law violation and a violent crime. A 29-year-old suspect was subsequently arrested on January 23 and charged with First-Degree Murder and First-Degree Kidnapping. She was known to the PCSD for other criminal complaints but had no criminal history.
On July 25 shortly after 5 p.m., a 52-year-old police officer with the Milwaukee Police Department was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a subject wanted for felony drug crimes and for absconding from the supervision of the Department of Corrections. Police received information on the whereabouts of the wanted subject, and two detectives spotted him entering a residence in the area. Additional law enforcement personnel responded to the location in an unmarked vehicle, then entered the residence to find the subject. After searching the first floor for 10 minutes, they formulated a plan to search the remainder of the house. The officer, an 18-year law enforcement veteran, slowly ascended the winding rear staircase. He was wearing a uniform, body armor, and a body camera. The stairs turned as they went upward, so the top of the staircase was not in view from the bottom. As the officer neared the top of the staircase, he saw a pile of clothing on the landing above him. The officer noticed a slight movement in the pile of clothing and realized the subject was hiding in the pile. The officer attempted to retreat back down the staircase, but the subject fired multiple rounds from a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun, striking the officer once in the rear of the head, fatally wounding him. Officers who were behind the house heard the gunfire then saw the subject push the screen out of an upstairs window, lean out, and fire at them. When the officers returned gunfire, the subject pulled himself back inside the house and threw his handgun out of the window to the lawn below. The subject yelled to the officers not to shoot and that his hands were up. The officers apprehended the subject on the stairway landing, took him into custody, and charged him with First-Degree Intentional Homicide, Use of a Dangerous Weapon; Attempted First-Degree Intentional Homicide, Use of a Dangerous Weapon; and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon. The 30-year-old subject had a criminal history including a weapons violation, crime of violence, drug law violation, and resisting arrest.