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Home LEOKA 2017 Resource Pages Summaries of Officers Feloniously Killed

Summaries of Officers Feloniously Killed

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Note: Occasionally, the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted Program is unable to publish summaries concerning some officers who are feloniously killed in the line of duty. These situations may stem from insufficient information, gag orders issued by the courts, or other unusual circumstances. Although a written summary of the deaths of 2 law enforcement officers who were killed in 2017 are not included in this publication, all available information is included where applicable in the data tables.


AZ | AR | CA | DE | FL | GA | IL | IN | IA | LA | MS

MO | MT | NV | NY | ND | OH | OK | PR | TX | VA | WI

Arizona

On March 11, a 27-year-old police officer with the Navajo Nation Police Department’s (PD’s) Window Rock District was shot while responding to a report of a domestic disturbance. The officer, who had nearly 5 years of law enforcement experience, went to the residence of a man known to the Navajo Nation PD for previous domestic disturbance and public intoxication calls. At 11:57 p.m., a female civilian used the officer’s radio to request an ambulance for an injured officer. Several officers responded to the call within minutes and found the victim officer lying along the road with a gunshot wound in the front of his head above his right eye. He was breathing but unresponsive. He had been struck with a round from a .22-caliber rifle. Officers removed the wounded officer’s body armor to check for other injuries and found a bruise on the right side of his abdomen. Emergency services personnel transported the wounded officer to a local fire department. From there he was airlifted to a hospital in Albuquerque where he succumbed to his injuries on March 12. As the officers searched for the suspect, they received a report that, at the suspect’s request, a man who lived near the scene had given him a ride and dropped him off near his residence. At approximately 9 a.m. on March 12, the suspect was found hiding between rocks and a hillside less than a mile south of his residence. The 32-year-old suspect was complaining of pain in his back and arms. He was taken to a local hospital then transported to the local jail where he was charged with Criminal Homicide, Aggravated Battery, Unlawful Carrying of a Deadly Weapon, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and Tampering with Physical Evidence. At the time of the incident, the suspect was under the influence of alcohol and had a criminal record including a violent crime.

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Arkansas

Just before 6 p.m. on June 12, a 41-year-old lieutenant with the Newport Police Department was shot and killed while responding to a report of a vehicle break-in that was in progress. The lieutenant, who was a veteran of law enforcement with 15 years of experience, responded to the call with another officer. They found two men breaking into a car at a local school. Both subjects fled, one on foot and one on a bicycle. The lieutenant pursued one of the subjects on foot, and the officer, also on foot, pursued the other individual. The lieutenant caught up to the subject near a park, and the subject fired four rounds from a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun. One round fatally struck the lieutenant in the front lower torso/abdomen. The officer, who was several yards away from the victim lieutenant, fired 10 rounds from his service weapon; none of the rounds struck the individual, who continued to flee. The 16-year-old offender was arrested on June 23 and placed on a juvenile probation hold.

*****

On May 11 at 7:18 a.m., a 46-year-old lieutenant with the Yell County Sheriff’s Department was shot and killed with his service weapon while responding to a domestic disturbance call in Dardenelle. At 6:48 a.m., a woman called Yell County 911’s nonemergency line to report that her daughter’s boyfriend had come to their residence and threatened to kill them. The individual, who was known to law enforcement for several previous domestic violence calls, had punched the woman’s daughter and granddaughter. The woman scared the man away by firing shots into the ground and reported to dispatch that she did not think he was armed. Around the same time, a neighbor also called 911 to report the disturbance and provided a description of the truck the man was driving. The lieutenant located the suspect’s truck and conducted a traffic stop. At 7:18 a.m., a passing motorist called dispatchers to report an officer down at the location of the traffic stop. Another officer responded to the scene where he found the lieutenant critically wounded by rounds from his own service weapon, a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun. One round had struck the front of the lieutenant’s head and his neck/throat. A second round had penetrated his body armor and struck his front upper torso/chest. The lieutenant was transported to a hospital where he succumbed to his chest wound. At 7:43 a.m., the same neighbor called to report she thought more people had been injured at her neighbor’s residence and that the suspect had wrecked his truck nearby and had run toward the residence. A number of officers converged on the residence where they found two female victims had been shot and killed. The original caller had died in front of her residence, and a young female had died on the front porch. The officers heard voices from inside the residence and ordered the suspect to come out. A female responded that she was wounded and being held hostage. The suspect demanded a pizza, a million dollars, and a helicopter. The suspect called 911, and an officer began negotiating with him via telephone. The Arkansas State Police SWAT unit arrived and took over the negotiations with the suspect, who eventually surrendered at 2:35 p.m. The 42-year-old suspect was charged with three counts of Capital Murder.

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California

On August 30, just before noon, a 52-year-old deputy sheriff with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department (SCSD) was shot and killed in Sacramento after responding to a call for backup. Three officers with the California Highway Patrol (CHP) were also injured during the incident. Earlier that day, a multijurisdictional, multiagency task force was conducting surveillance on a stolen vehicle in the parking lot of a hotel. As they watched, two individuals entered the vehicle. When task force members attempted a traffic stop, the driver led them on a lengthy pursuit that ended with both individuals being taken into custody. The driver of the vehicle was on searchable probation, so investigators returned to the hotel to conduct a probation search of the room registered to the suspect. Detectives positioned themselves near the entrance and back balcony of the hotel room. As five of the investigators began to push open the door, they were fired upon from inside the room, injuring two of the officers. The investigators took cover and called for backup. The offender fled through the back door of the hotel room from the second story balcony. The SCSD deputy, a veteran of law enforcement with 21 years of experience, responded to the call and arrived during a gun battle between the suspect and the officers in the hotel parking lot. The deputy retrieved his rifle from the rack in his patrol vehicle, took cover behind his vehicle, and attempted to prevent the suspect from fleeing but was struck by a round the suspect fired from a 7.62x39 mm semiautomatic rifle. The round entered above the deputy’s body armor and into his front upper torso/chest, ultimately causing his death. The suspect, who was also armed with three handguns and a grenade, fled the scene in a stolen vehicle with officers in pursuit. The suspect was temporarily forced to a stop by heavy traffic at an intersection. During the stop, the suspect was shot by a pursuing officer. The suspect again fled but lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a pole. Officers took the 32-year-old suspect into custody, and he later died from his wounds. During the incident, three veteran CHP officers were injured: a 43-year-old with 17 years of law enforcement experience, a 42-year-0ld with 11 years of experience, and a 44-year-old with 11 years of experience. All three were transported and admitted to the hospital for treatment of their injuries. At the time this incident was reported to the FBI, none of the injured officers had returned to duty. A subsequent search of the hotel room yielded another handgun and a quantity of methamphetamine. At the time of the incident, the suspect was under the influence of amphetamines/methamphetamines. The suspect had an extensive criminal history including arrests for a violent crime, assault on a law enforcement officer, a weapons violation, and a drug law violation.

*****

A 53-year-old police officer with the Whittier Police Department was shot and killed while responding to a motor vehicle crash around 8 a.m. on February 20. The veteran officer, who had 27 years of law enforcement experience, arrived at the scene and parked his marked patrol unit behind one of the vehicles involved in the crash. A 27-year-old backup officer arrived and parked his marked patrol unit in front of the same vehicle. The veteran officer approached the driver, who was in the driver’s seat of the vehicle. The backup officer positioned himself at the vehicle’s front passenger-side door. As the veteran officer returned to the passenger’s side of his patrol unit to retrieve equipment, the backup officer moved to the back of the crashed vehicle to run its license plate number. Dispatch alerted them that the vehicle was stolen, so both officers approached the driver’s side door of the crashed vehicle. The veteran officer asked the driver to step out of the vehicle and face away from him. The driver initially complied, and the officer asked him to place his hands behind his back. Suddenly, the driver retrieved a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun from his right rear pants pocket and fired two rounds at the backup officer, who was wearing body armor. One of the rounds struck the backup officer in the front lower torso/abdomen; however, his body armor prevented the round from entering his body. The second round struck and damaged the backup officer’s holstered service weapon as he turned around to seek cover behind his patrol unit. The suspect turned and fired three rounds at the veteran officer. The rounds struck the officer in his arms/hands and fatally in the front upper torso/chest above his body armor. Then, the suspect continued to shoot at the backup officer, who returned fire with one round before his damaged service weapon became inoperable. The suspect moved toward the rear passenger door of the victim officer’s patrol unit. Another officer, who had responded to the other vehicle in the crash, heard the gunfire and ran to the scene. The officer saw the suspect crouched beside the victim officer’s patrol unit holding a handgun and the victim officer on the ground, not moving. The officer fired his service weapon at the suspect, striking him once. After the suspect was hit, he threw his firearm down and surrendered. The mortally wounded officer was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased. The backup officer was transported to a local hospital where he was treated and released. At the time this incident was reported to the FBI, the injured backup officer had not returned to duty. The 26-year-old suspect, who was on parole at the time of the incident, was arrested and charged with Murder of a Police Officer. He had a prior criminal record that included a violent crime and a drug law violation.

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Delaware

On April 26 at 12:10 p.m., a 32-year-old corporal with the Delaware State Police, Troop 2, in Newark, was shot and killed while investigating suspicious persons at a local convenience store in Bear. Footage from the corporal’s vehicle dashboard camera showed that the corporal, who was a veteran of law enforcement with 8 years of experience, approached two men sitting in a vehicle parked at the convenience store. The corporal asked both men for identification, but the passenger was not cooperative initially. When the corporal moved from the driver’s side to the passenger’s side, the passenger stepped out of the car and immediately attacked the corporal. The suspect pulled out a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun, and the corporal, who was wearing body armor, took cover behind a nearby vehicle. The suspect followed, firing at the corporal’s head several times at close range. Four rounds struck the corporal, causing injuries to his arms and hands and a fatal wound to the front of his head. The suspect then ran across the parking lot, jumped into a parked vehicle, and fled. The corporal was transported to a local hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. He died from his injuries a few hours later. A team of officers responded to the scene and took the driver of the car into custody. The driver identified the 26-year-old suspect and provided his cell phone number. Meanwhile, the suspect’s father had contacted the state police to report his son had called to tell him that he had shot a trooper. In the same telephone conversation, the suspect had threatened to shoot his father. Officers were informed that the suspect was barricaded inside his residence, and a surveillance team quickly established a perimeter. At 9 a.m. on April 27, the suspect exited the residence displaying a handgun, and officers shot and justifiably killed him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers found him in possession of the 9 mm handgun used to kill the corporal. The subject had a criminal history including arrests for a weapons violation and a drug law violation.

*****

A 42-year-old corporal with the Dover Police Department died on September 1 from injuries he sustained approximately 5 years earlier during a traffic stop. On February 8, 2012, at 5:17 p.m., the 36-year-old corporal and a probation officer were in an unmarked police vehicle on traffic patrol when they observed a suspicious vehicle. The corporal conducted a computer query on the vehicle’s registration and determined that the driver’s license of the registered owner was suspended. The corporal, who was a veteran officer with nearly 12 years of law enforcement experience, activated his emergency lights and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. Both the corporal and the probation officer were wearing body armor and black utility uniforms with the words “police” and “probation officer” on them. The corporal determined that the driver of the vehicle was the registered owner and directed him to exit the vehicle. The corporal advised the driver that his license was suspended, and his vehicle was going to be inventoried and towed. The driver asked to retrieve an item from his vehicle and quickly reentered his car. The corporal followed the driver to his car and reached through the driver’s side door, across the driver, to remove the keys from the ignition. As the corporal was standing beside the vehicle with his head and upper torso inside, the driver put the manual stick shift into gear and pressed the accelerator. The corporal was dragged 15 feet, which caused injuries to the front of both legs/feet, specifically his knees. The driver attempted to remove the corporal from the vehicle, but the corporal wrestled with the driver, took the vehicle out of gear, and gained control of the steering wheel. The corporal removed the driver from the vehicle and took him into custody with the probation officer’s help. A search of the vehicle yielded pills and more than $2,000 in cash. The 31-year-old driver was charged with Second-Degree Assault, Intentionally Injuring a Law Enforcement Officer, Resisting Arrest with Force, and Violence That Injures/Struggles with a Peace Officer. His criminal history included resisting arrest, a drug law violation, and a violent crime. The corporal underwent multiple surgeries but eventually died as a result of the injuries sustained during this incident.

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Florida

On August 18, a 26-year-old officer and a 35-year-old sergeant with the Kissimmee Police Department were fatally injured shortly before 10 p.m. The officer, who had 3 years of law enforcement experience, was engaged in a self-initiated activity involving three individuals. During the encounter, a motorist drove up to the group, began speaking with the officer and asked to speak with the officer’s supervisor. The officer used his police radio to ask the sergeant to come to the location. When the veteran sergeant, who had nearly 11 years of law enforcement experience, responded to the scene, he asked the three individuals to leave so he could address the interaction between the officer and the motorist. Shortly after the three left, witnesses heard four shots fired and saw both officers lying unresponsive in the street. A resident called 911 to report the downed officers, and officers from several agencies responded. Both victim officers were wearing body armor; neither had the opportunity to draw his service weapon during the encounter. Both victim officers suffered gunshot wounds from a .22-caliber revolver to the front and side of their heads. The 26-year-old officer died at the scene; and the victim sergeant died the next day. Medical personnel were unable to determine the fatal wounds for either officer. In addition to the revolver, the 45-year-old suspect also had a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun in his possession but did not use it. A subsequent investigation identified the suspect, who was arrested on August 19 and charged with Premeditated Murder, Resisting an Officer, and Licensing-Registration Weapon. He was known to law enforcement to suffer from a mental illness and for a previous incident with a firearm. His criminal history included a previous arrest for a violent crime.

*****

On January 9 at 7:17 a.m., a 42-year-old sergeant with the Orlando Police Department was shot and fatally wounded while investigating a report of a wanted fugitive. The sergeant, a law enforcement veteran with nearly 18 years of experience, was on routine patrol when a citizen flagged her down outside a retail store. The citizen told the sergeant that a fugitive who was wanted for homicide was inside the store. The sergeant called for assistance and walked toward the store’s entrance. As she neared the doors, the suspect exited the store pushing a shopping cart. The suspect immediately began to run; the sergeant followed and reported the foot pursuit on her radio. The fugitive ran approximately 15 feet, circled a pillar while drawing his .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun, and turned toward the sergeant, who had her service weapon in her hand. When the fugitive opened fire, the sergeant, who was wearing body armor, turned to avoid the gunfire and was shot in the rear below her waist. The fugitive began closing the distance between himself and the sergeant while continuing to shoot at her. The sergeant fell to the ground while firing her weapon, rolled over, and continued to shoot at the fugitive, although she also suffered a gunshot wound to her arms/hands. Upon reaching the injured sergeant, the fugitive stood over her and shot her in the neck, fatally wounding her. The fugitive then ran to his vehicle, which was in the parking lot of the store. Additional units arrived on the scene within seconds, and officers saw the fugitive drive away. During his escape, the fugitive pulled alongside an Orange County deputy, who was unaware of the shooting. The fugitive opened fire on the deputy, but no injuries were reported. The victim sergeant was transported to a local hospital where she succumbed to her wounds. She was posthumously promoted to lieutenant. After a 9-day manhunt conducted with the assistance of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service, law enforcement used GPS technology and located the offender in an abandoned house. Officers surrounded the house as the fugitive tried various routes of escape, eventually surrendering. The 41-year-old suspect was charged with multiple offenses: two counts of First-Degree Murder, First-Degree Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer, Resisting Arrest Without Violence, Attempted First-Degree Murder, First-Degree Injure Mother/Kill Unborn Child, five counts of Use of a Deadly Weapon Without Intent to Kill, Carjacking with a Firearm, and Wearing a Bulletproof Vest. His criminal history included prior incarceration and arrests for resisting arrest, a drug law violation, a weapons violation, and a violent crime.

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Georgia

A 29-year-old detective corporal was killed and a 37-year-old patrol officer was injured when the pair, both from the Polk County Police Department, answered a call for service at 10:46 a.m. on September 29. The officer, who had less than 1 year of law enforcement experience, was dispatched to a report of a suspicious vehicle in a driveway in Cedartown. No passengers were in the parked vehicle, and a check of its registration showed the car had been reported stolen. The officer found a wallet in the vehicle with a woman’s identification card, Social Security card, and a credit or debit card. He did not yet have experience processing the paperwork associated with recovering a stolen vehicle, so he radioed for assistance. The detective, a veteran of law enforcement with more than 9 years of experience, radioed she was en route to help. The officer began work on his report as he sat in his marked patrol unit waiting on the detective and a tow truck to arrive. He soon heard footsteps in the leaves behind the vehicle. He leaned forward to get a better view of the area behind him when he saw a male and a female approaching the vehicle from the rear passenger side. The officer exited the patrol unit and asked the couple why they were in the area. The male pointed to the stolen vehicle and said they were there to retrieve the female’s wallet. The officer asked the female her name, and it matched the name on the items from the wallet. The detective arrived on the scene as the officer was instructing the pair to put their belongings on the ground. The male and female were leaning over very slowly and acting suspiciously as they placed their belongings on the ground when the male produced a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and fired two rounds at the officer from approximately 18 feet away. Both rounds struck the officer in his front upper torso/chest but were stopped by his body armor—one of the rounds hit his radio before striking the vest, rendering his radio useless. The officer fell to his knees and fired five rounds from his service weapon. None of the rounds struck the male, who had taken cover in front of the officer’s patrol unit. The male then moved to the passenger side of the car and fired four rounds at the detective. All four rounds struck the detective fatally in her front upper torso/chest, and she fell to the ground. The male then fired two additional rounds at the officer. After realizing his shoulder radio had been destroyed by a bullet, the wounded officer crawled to his patrol unit, quickly assessed the detective’s condition, and used the patrol unit’s radio to call for help. The two subjects appeared to have fled, so the wounded officer rapidly retrieved his shotgun from the trunk of the patrol unit and attempted to give the victim detective CPR until other personnel arrived, all while keeping watch for the subjects in case they returned. The victim detective succumbed to her injuries, and the injured officer was transported to a local hospital. The 31-year-old male offender was arrested later that day and charged with Malice Murder, Felony Murder, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Theft by Receiving Stolen Property, Aggravated Assault Against a Police Officer During Official Duties, and Willful Obstruction of a Law Enforcement Officer by Use of Threats or Violence. He was on probation at the time of the incident; his criminal history included a drug law violation and a violent crime. The wounded patrol officer was treated and released from the hospital and has returned to duty.

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Illinois

On September 5, a 66-year-old police officer from the Chicago Police Department died of injuries he sustained while working a tactical assignment 29 years earlier. On July 14, 1988, at 4:45 p.m., the 37-year-old officer was a 7-year veteran of law enforcement and a member of the Hostage, Barricade, and Terrorist Team. The officer was involved in an 8-hour standoff with a subject who had barricaded himself inside a residence. During the incident, the officer was positioned behind a garage and was looking around the corner of the structure at the residence when the offender fired once with a .44-caliber handgun. The officer was hit in the front head above his eye, and the round lodged behind his ear. The officer was transported to a local hospital where he underwent surgery to remove the round from his brain. The 46-year-old offender, who was a retired Chicago police officer, was arrested the same day. He was charged with Aggravated Battery (Firearm) and Attempted Murder. He died in custody. The victim officer never fully recovered from his injury and was wheelchair bound for the rest of his life. He died from complications resulting from his brain injury. The Chicago Medical Examiner’s office ruled his death a homicide.

*****

On November 5 at 1:03 a.m., a 30-year-old patrol officer with the Rockford Police Department was killed while conducting a traffic stop. The officer, who had nearly 3 years of law enforcement experience, stopped a vehicle for a false registration and a revoked driver’s license. The officer, who was wearing body armor, stood at the front driver’s side door attempting to arrest the suspect, but the suspect would not comply. The officer tried to remove the suspect from the vehicle, but the suspect began to drive away. The officer became partially caught inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle. At some point, the officer radioed dispatch for assistance. As the officer was carried with the vehicle, he fired two rounds from his service weapon at the suspect. Both rounds struck the suspect, disabling him. The vehicle crashed into a tree, and the officer was thrown from the vehicle. The officer suffered injuries to his front upper torso/chest, front legs/feet, and to the front of his head. The 49-year-old suspect died at the scene from the gunshot wounds, justifiably killed by the officer. He was a known user of a controlled substance and had a prior criminal record including a violent crime, domestic battery, resisting arrest, and a drug law violation.

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Indiana

On July 27, at 2:40 p.m., a 38-year-old lieutenant with the Southport Police Department was killed while responding to a vehicle crash with entrapment. A major with the Homecroft Police Department (HPD) arrived first and saw a car on its roof. He parked his patrol vehicle along the curb of the northbound lane. The lieutenant arrived shortly after and parked behind him. The major spoke to a witness who reported she was driving her vehicle northbound when the other vehicle came toward her at a high rate of speed, went airborne, flipped upside down, and landed. The major approached the driver’s side of the inverted vehicle and saw the driver suspended from his seat belt. He then checked on the passenger who was sitting in the grass outside of the vehicle. The lieutenant, a veteran with 20 years of law enforcement experience, approached the passenger’s side of the vehicle, stuck his head inside, and advised the driver not to move. The driver became agitated and started cursing; the lieutenant told him to stay calm and help was on the way. The driver then used a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and shot several rounds at the lieutenant. The HPD police chief and an off-duty reserve deputy from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, who had arrived at the scene, returned fire, injuring the driver. After the gunfire ceased, the veteran lieutenant was on the ground. He had been wounded in the rear legs, rear upper torso/back, front lower torso/abdomen, arms/hands, front legs/feet, and fatally in the front upper torso/chest. The rounds entered his body armor between the side panels, armhole/shoulder area, and above the vest. A handgun with the slide locked back was found lying on the ceiling of the overturned car. Officers commanded the driver not to move and extracted him from the vehicle. A nurse who witnessed the accident ran to the lieutenant and began performing CPR before he was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The 28-year-old offender, who received gunshot wounds to the right cheek, right clavicle, and left arm, was transported to the hospital. The offender was under the influence of marijuana, cocaine, and other narcotics at the time of the incident. He also had a criminal record that included a drug law violation. The subject was arrested and charged with Murder.

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Iowa

A 43-year-old deputy sheriff with the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) was killed, and a 59-year-old deputy sheriff with the PCSO was wounded in Council Bluffs while transporting prisoners at 10:55 a.m. on May 1. The deputies were conveying two prisoners from court back to the county jail. During the transport, a male prisoner managed to unlock his handcuffs and leg shackles. When the transport van arrived at the jail, the deputies exited and moved to the back of the van. They opened the doors, and the 59-year-old deputy, a veteran of law enforcement with more than 39 years of experience, escorted the female prisoner toward the jail. The male prisoner exited the back of the van and immediately began assaulting the 43-year-old deputy, a 16-year law enforcement veteran, with a homemade cutting instrument, cutting the deputy’s head, neck, arms/hands, and front legs/feet. With the deputy down, the suspect ran to the driver’s seat of the van. The injured deputy, who was wearing body armor, recovered and entered the van through the front passenger’s side door. The 59-year-old deputy, who was also wearing body armor, ran to the driver’s side of the van to attempt to apprehend the suspect. During the struggle, the suspect gained possession of one of the deputy’s service weapons, a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun. The suspect fatally shot the injured 43-year-old deputy in the side of the head with the service weapon. The suspect then shot the 59-year-old deputy in the front lower torso/abdomen below his protective vest and took possession of the other deputy’s service weapon. The injured 59-year-old deputy fell to the ground outside the van. The suspect exited the van and took the van keys and extra ammunition from the 59-year-old deputy. The suspect got back in the van, started it with the stolen keys, and fled the scene by ramming the closed sally port door. At 10:57 a.m., the suspect pulled up behind two motorists in a pickup truck at an intersection. The truck driver noticed the suspect exiting the van dressed in a yellow jumpsuit carrying a firearm and realized the man was an escaped prisoner. As the suspect attempted to open the driver’s side door of the truck, the truck driver tried to drive away, but the suspect fired one round through the truck’s window, striking the driver in the neck. The injured motorist continued driving until he drove into a ditch north of the intersection. The suspect returned to the van and fled. A few minutes later, the suspect drove up behind another vehicle stopped at a stop sign. The suspect drove past the vehicle and parked in front of it in the middle of an intersection. The suspect exited the van, approached the vehicle, pointed the firearm at the driver, and ordered her to get out of her car. The woman exited her vehicle and began to walk away; however, the suspect soon realized the vehicle had a manual transmission, which he could not drive. He ordered the woman back into the vehicle and forced her at gunpoint to drive to Omaha, Nebraska. Once they reached Omaha, the woman convinced the suspect to let her go. After exiting the vehicle, the woman called for help. The 24-year-old suspect was arrested in Omaha the same day and charged with First-Degree Murder, Voluntary Manslaughter, Attempted Murder, two counts of Robbery in the First and Second Degrees, and Escape from Custody. He had a criminal history that included murder charges. The deputies were transported to a local hospital where the 43-year-old deputy was pronounced dead. The 59-year-old deputy was treated for severe injuries. At the time this incident was reported to the FBI, the injured deputy had not returned to duty.

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Louisiana

On March 18 at 10:30 p.m., a 43-year-old sergeant with the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office was shot and killed at a hair salon in Baton Rouge during a rape investigation. The veteran sergeant, who had nearly 16 years of law enforcement experience, and his partner, a lieutenant, were investigating the suspected rapist and found him at the salon. The subject pulled out a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun, and a physical encounter ensued. During the struggle, the subject shot the sergeant at close range in the rear lower torso/back and fatally in the rear upper torso/back. The lieutenant fired four rounds at the subject, all of which struck him, then secured him with handcuffs and called for assistance. Both the sergeant and the subject were transported to local hospitals. The sergeant was pronounced dead at the hospital. The 30-year-old subject died from his wounds on March 21. Investigators suspect this was an incidence of suicide-by-cop. The subject had a criminal history that included a weapons violation, a drug law violation, and sex crimes.

*****

Around 10:20 p.m. on October 1, a 44-year-old corporal with the Lafayette Police Department was shot and killed in an ambush (entrapment/premeditation) when he responded to a report of shots fired. The veteran corporal, who had more than 9 years of law enforcement experience, was dispatched to a convenience store where two people had been shot by an unknown person. When the corporal arrived at the scene, a man approached the officer and, posing as a concerned citizen, led him into the convenience store. A clerk was holding a firearm and standing in the doorway. The corporal ordered the clerk to put the gun down. The man who led the officer to the store took the firearm from the clerk, racked a round into the chamber, then turned and fired two shots from the 9 mm semiautomatic handgun at the corporal. The subject fled on foot and fired at another officer arriving at the scene. The victim corporal, who was wearing body armor, was shot in the neck and the front of his head, which was the fatal gunshot wound. The 27-year-old suspect was captured in a ravine a short distance away. He was arrested and charged on October 2 with First-Degree Murder, Attempted First-Degree Murder, and two counts of Attempted Second-Degree Murder. The man had no known criminal record prior to the shootings.

*****

A 29-year-old police officer with the New Orleans Police Department was shot and killed on October 13 at 12:14 a.m. while working an investigation. The officer, who had 3 years of law enforcement experience, was working alone on a task force assignment investigating suspicious persons or circumstances. He was checking on a parolee known as a career criminal whose criminal history included assault on a law enforcement officer, weapons violations, and drug law violations. The officer was found fatally shot in the rear and side of his head, and he had also sustained additional injuries to his rear upper torso/back. The officer’s handgun was still in its holster when his body was found. During the subsequent investigation, another officer reviewed video footage that showed the parolee brandishing a weapon while struggling with the victim officer. The victim officer fired an electronic control weapon (ECW), striking the offender. However, the ECW was ineffective, and the two continued to struggle. Several gunshots were audible during the video as well as the sound of a man screaming. The offender fled the scene, still armed, and encountered another officer, who was arriving to assist. The second officer shot the offender multiple times. After being shot, the offender fled into his apartment, but tactical officers secured the premises and apprehended him. A subsequent search of the premises revealed the clothing the offender had been wearing and the .38-caliber handgun he had used in the murder, both of which were seen in the video. In addition, several bags of crack cocaine, cocaine, heroin, and prescription medications were found in the apartment. The 30-year-old offender was charged with First-Degree Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer.

*****

A 26-year-old police officer with the Westwego Police Department was shot and killed in an unprovoked attack around 6:30 a.m. on January 20 in Marrero. The officer, who had 1 year of law enforcement experience, arrived at the scene of what appeared to be a traffic accident, exited his vehicle, and asked if anyone needed medical assistance. A man at the scene of the accident said that no one needed medical assistance. When the officer turned to walk back to his vehicle, the man pulled out a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and fired in the officer’s direction. The officer, who was wearing body armor, was shot in the back of his head and later died from the injury. The subject fled the scene. Local, state, and federal agencies responded to the scene and set up a perimeter. During a grid search of the area, the subject was spotted on a bridge. Officers from the New Orleans Police Department and SWAT teams from the St. Charles Police Department, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Louisiana State Police, and the FBI responded to the area. After several hours of negotiations with the 32-year-old subject, he shot himself in the chest and died at the scene. The subject had a prior criminal record that included an assault on a police officer, a weapons violation, and a violent crime.

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Mississippi

Shortly before midnight on May 27, a deputy sheriff with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department was shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance at a residence in Bogue Chitto. Around 11:30 p.m., dispatchers received a call from a woman who reported a disturbance with her husband. The 34-year-old officer, a veteran of law enforcement with 6 years of experience, responded to the scene and talked to the woman. He then spoke to her husband, who initially followed the deputy’s commands to leave the residence. However, as the husband was leaving, he pulled a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun from his pocket and fired three rounds from close range at the deputy, who was wearing body armor. The deputy was struck once in the torso, once in the rear lower torso/back, and fatally struck twice in the front of his head. At some point after the initial attack, the man produced a 7.26x35 mm semiautomatic rifle and again shot the deputy in the back, with the round penetrating the body armor. A second deputy arriving on scene heard the gunshots. The man shot at the second deputy, who returned fire with three rounds. The man went back inside the residence and shot and killed three people in the residence. The man was somehow able to exit the residence and travel to another residence in a nearby town, where he shot and killed two people and kidnapped a third person before proceeding to a third residence where he released his hostage. In an attempt to gain entry into the third residence, the suspect shot at the door, and one of the rounds struck the homeowner. Once inside, the suspect shot the homeowner’s wife. Before the suspect left, the victim homeowner shot the suspect in the arm. The homeowner and his wife eventually succumbed to their injuries. The man left the third residence on foot, and police apprehended him on May 28. The 35-year-old suspect, who had a criminal history including a violent crime, was charged with eight counts of Murder.

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Missouri

On August 6 at 10:45 p.m., a 37-year-old patrol officer from the Clinton Police Department was shot and killed during a traffic stop. The officer, who had more than 1 year of law enforcement experience, pulled a vehicle over and prepared to approach the driver. Without warning, the driver exited the vehicle and fired a single round with a .223-caliber semiautomatic rifle, striking the officer, who was wearing body armor, in the front upper torso/chest. The round exceeded the vest’s specifications and penetrated the armor. The wounded officer took cover behind the open driver’s side door of his patrol unit. The officer fired seven rounds from his service weapon and struck the suspect once in the rear below the waist. The suspect returned to his vehicle and fled the scene. Not far from the scene, the suspect lost control of his vehicle and struck an embankment. He abandoned his vehicle and fled on foot to a friend’s unoccupied residence nearby. The victim officer was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The suspect hid in his friend’s house until the friend and the friend’s wife and four children returned home around 1 a.m. on August 7. The friend and his wife allowed the suspect to remain in their residence overnight until another friend arrived at the residence and drove the suspect out of town. The friend who owned the residence also owned the rifle the suspect used to shoot the officer. The suspect had stolen the rifle from the friend about a year earlier. When the suspect left the friend’s residence, the friend disposed of the rifle used in the killing in a nearby body of water. A manhunt ensued until law enforcement located the suspect in a neighboring town around 7:15 p.m. on August 8. The 39-year-old suspect, who was known to law enforcement as a suspect in a prior peace disturbance, had a prior criminal record and convictions including charges for a violent crime and a weapons violation. He was charged with First-Degree Murder and Armed Criminal Action. The husband and wife who allowed the suspect to stay in their residence were arrested and charged with Hindering Prosecution and four counts each of First-Degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child. The husband was also charged with Tampering with Physical Evidence and Fraudulent Purchase of a Firearm. The friend who drove the suspect out of town was arrested and charged with Hindering Prosecution.

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Montana

A 42-year-old deputy sheriff with the Broadwater County Sheriff’s Office was shot and killed while attempting a traffic stop around 2:30 a.m. on May 16 in Three Forks. Around 2 a.m., a father and son, who had been consuming alcohol, left a campground in Townsend after telling family members they were going on a suicide mission. The deputy, a law enforcement veteran with 17 years of experience, was returning home after his shift when the duo’s vehicle passed him on the highway traveling at a high rate of speed. The deputy followed the vehicle for a short time then turned on his patrol unit’s lights and siren. When the pair failed to stop, the deputy informed dispatch of his pursuit, which reached 100 mph. The deputy, who was wearing body armor, had been following the vehicle for approximately 6 minutes when he was suddenly struck by gunfire. The deputy pulled his patrol unit to the side of the road and lost consciousness. The suspects turned their vehicle around and returned to the scene approximately 3 minutes later. Just as the deputy was regaining consciousness, the suspects fired numerous rounds at the deputy from their .308-caliber semiautomatic rifles. In all, the suspects fired 29 rounds, striking the officer a total of four times including shots to the front upper torso/chest, the arms/hands, and fatally in the front of his head. The suspects then fled the scene. When dispatchers lost contact with the deputy, they summoned backup. An officer with the Montana Highway Patrol arrived at the scene and discovered the deceased deputy. Officers located the suspects’ vehicle west of the scene and began another high-speed chase. During the chase, the suspects shot at the officers. The suspects’ vehicle eventually came to a stop near Rock Creek, and they exited the vehicle. The father exited the driver’s side, and the son exited the passenger’s side. Officers exchanged gunfire with the suspects until one of the officers’ rounds justifiably struck the son in the head; another round dislodged a handgun from the father’s hand. The 38-year-old son, who was on conditional release pending criminal prosecution at the time of the incident, died from his wounds on May 18. He had a previous criminal record and convictions including a violent crime, driving under the influence/driving with a suspended license, and resisting arrest. The 61-year-old father, who was also on conditional release pending criminal prosecution, had a previous criminal record and convictions including murder, assault on a law enforcement officer, a violent crime, a weapons violation, a drug law violation, driving under the influence/trespassing, and resisting arrest. He was arrested and charged with seven counts of Attempted Deliberate Homicide, Deliberate Homicide, two counts of Criminal Endangerment, Fleeing or Eluding a Peace Officer, Night Speeding, ten counts of Assault on a Peace Officer, and three counts of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Person.

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Nevada

On the evening of October 1, an off-duty police officer with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department died in a mass shooting. The 34-year-old officer was attending a music festival with his wife and friends. Shortly after 10 p.m., the police department received a call reporting gunfire at the festival. Uniformed officers working the event confirmed that several people had been shot and requested assistance. In an interview on October 18, the officer’s wife reported their group, seated on the east side of the venue, began hearing pops. She thought they were fireworks, but the officer, who was a veteran of law enforcement with almost 12 years’ experience, knew it was gunshots. He immediately positioned himself in front of her and their friends to shield them. The officer instructed the group to lie down and calmed them and other festival attendees in his vicinity. As the officer attempted to remove his companions from the venue, a round from a .223-caliber semiautomatic rifle struck him, and he fell to the ground. There were several volleys of gunfire, and another round struck the officer as he was on the ground. Meanwhile, the police discovered an offender on an upper floor of a hotel overlooking the venue who was shooting at the festival attendees below. Hotel security informed police of the offender’s exact location after he shot a hotel security guard. Police officers made their way to the hotel room and breached the door. There they found the 64-year-old offender lying on the floor dead from an apparent self-inflicted wound from a handgun. They also recovered 23 rifles from the hotel room. Investigation revealed the offender had fired more than 1,ooo rounds in all. Officials located, documented, and recovered 31 victims from the venue and its exterior perimeter, and emergency personnel transported the remaining victims to various local hospitals. The officer’s body was located at one such hospital with a fatal gunshot wound to the front upper torso/chest and another shot to the rear upper torso/back. Fifty-eight individuals died in the mass shooting. The offender had no prior criminal history.

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New York

On July 5 at 12:30 a.m., a 48-year-old police officer with the 46th Precinct of the New York Police Department was shot and killed in an unprovoked attack in the Bronx. The veteran officer, who had 12 years of law enforcement experience, was wearing body armor and was seated in the passenger seat of a mobile command vehicle when an assailant approached and fired one shot from his .38-caliber revolver, striking her in the side of her head, killing her. The officer’s partner requested assistance, and two responding officers chased the armed subject, discharging their firearms 26 times. The 34-year-old subject was struck numerous times and justifiably killed. He was pronounced dead at the scene. At the time of the attack, the subject was a parolee. His criminal history included an arrest for a violent crime. The subject was known to local police as a dealer of controlled substances.

*****

On July 9, around 8:10 p.m., a trooper with the Oneida Detachment of the New York State Police was ambushed in the town of Theresa when he responded to a report of shots fired. The 36-year-old trooper, who was a veteran with 14 years of law enforcement experience, requested assistance prior to the incident and was the first to respond to the residence. Upon arrival, the trooper heard gunfire, parked to the south of the scene, and approached on foot toward the suspect’s driveway. Almost immediately, the suspect discharged multiple rounds from his 5.56 mm semiautomatic rifle. The trooper, who was wearing body armor, was struck in the front upper torso/chest area by one round that penetrated his vest because the round was more powerful than the vest’s specifications. The injured trooper retreated toward his patrol vehicle where he succumbed to his injury. Subsequent investigation later revealed that the suspect was involved in a domestic dispute with his spouse before the incident. The suspect killed his spouse shortly before the trooper arrived. In addition, the suspect’s gunfire struck a woman residing in a shed on the property; she received non-life-threatening injuries. The 32-year-old suspect surrendered to responding state troopers and was charged with First-Degree Murder and Second-Degree Murder.

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North Dakota

A 29-year-old deputy sheriff with the Rolette County Sheriff’s Office was shot and killed around 6:10 p.m. on January 18 in a rural area of Rolette during an arrest situation following a motor vehicle theft and pursuit. Authorities tracked the stolen vehicle using the vehicle’s communication system and started a pursuit that led authorities to the vehicle’s location. The veteran deputy, who had more than 5 years of law enforcement experience, deployed a tire deflation device at an intersection ahead of the stolen vehicle. The vehicle’s communication system disabled the automobile as it approached the intersection. The deputy approached the driver’s side of the vehicle with his service weapon drawn. The deputy was less than 5 feet away when the driver fired two rounds from a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun. The rounds struck the victim deputy in the side of the head and fatally in the front upper torso/chest above his body armor. Deputies and an officer from the Rolla Police Department who were chasing the suspect had exited their vehicles and were also approaching the vehicle when the shots were fired. They returned fire, justifiably killing the 28-year-old offender, who was on probation at the time of the incident. He had a criminal history that included a weapons violation, a drug law violation, resisting arrest, and a violent crime. He was also a known user and dealer of controlled substances.

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Ohio

On October 21, shortly after 10 p.m., a 31-year-old police officer with the Girard Police Department (GPD) was shot and killed while answering a call for service. Two officers with the GPD responded to a report of an intoxicated man who had been involved in a domestic dispute earlier in the day and was now firing a weapon inside a dwelling. The subject’s live-in girlfriend fled the house and called police. The officer and his partner arrived at the residence and confronted the suspect. The officer, who was a veteran of law enforcement with 5 years of experience, took out his notebook to write down the suspect’s information. At that point, the suspect produced a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun and shot the officer once in the front upper torso/chest. The officer’s partner justifiably shot and killed the 37-year-old suspect. The injured officer was transported to a local hospital where he died in surgery. The suspect, who was on probation at the time of the incident, was known to the department for prior arrests for assault and domestic violence.

*****

On May 12 at 7:44 a.m., the 46-year-old chief of the Kirkersville Police Department was shot and killed in an unprovoked attack. Earlier that morning, an individual, who was on conditional release pending criminal prosecution, took two hostages into the woods near a nursing and rehabilitation center. He informed the hostages that he intended to kill a woman in the facility and then himself because of their domestic issues. One of the hostages surreptitiously called 911 and left the line open. The dispatcher notified the chief and the Licking County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO). When the chief, who had 4 years of law enforcement experience, arrived at the scene, he parked in front of the individual’s location in the woods and reported to dispatch that he “had a visual on the suspect.” A hostage later reported that when the chief exited his vehicle, the man stood up and shot one round from a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun at the chief, striking him in the neck/throat above his body armor. Deputies from the LCSO found the chief on the ground behind his patrol vehicle. A deputy transported him to another location before he was taken by emergency services personnel to a hospital where he succumbed to his injury. The offender, armed with the shotgun and a handgun, entered the facility, shot and killed two female employees, then committed suicide. The 43-year-old offender had been in a turbulent relationship with one of the center’s employees, and protection orders had been issued prior to these events. The offender had a history of domestic violence and had been previously incarcerated for kidnapping.

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Oklahoma

On April 18 at 9:20 a.m., a 40-year-old deputy sheriff with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office was shot and killed while responding to a call for service regarding an eviction in Mulhall. When the deputy, who had 4 years of law enforcement experience, arrived at the residence, he encountered a married couple and another man who were loading a rental truck. The deputy asked for their identification, ran checks on them through dispatch, and was informed that one of the individuals may have an outstanding warrant. Meanwhile, the couple went back inside to continue packing the truck, while the other man sat on the porch. The landlord of the residence arrived and parked behind the deputy’s patrol vehicle. The deputy went to speak with the landlord at his vehicle, and afterward the landlord backed his car out of the driveway. As the deputy began walking toward the man on the porch, the man stood up, walked to within 10 feet of the deputy, brandished a semiautomatic handgun, and fired seven rounds. The deputy sustained injuries in areas that were not protected by his body armor: his front head, neck/throat, front upper torso/chest, rear upper torso/back, and arms/hands. The suspect stole the deputy’s patrol vehicle and fled the scene. The deputy was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to the injury to the front of his head. The 45-year-old suspect was arrested later that day, but the handgun was not recovered. He was charged with First-Degree Murder, Larceny of a Motor Vehicle, and Robbery. The suspect had a criminal history that included a violent crime, a weapons violation, and a drug law violation.

*****

A 22-year-old patrol officer with the Tecumseh Police Department (TPD) was shot and fatally wounded just before 11:30 p.m. on March 26 while conducting a traffic stop. The officer, who had 1 year of law enforcement experience, was standing on the passenger’s side of the vehicle interacting with the vehicle’s passenger, who was also outside of the vehicle. The vehicle’s driver remained in the driver’s seat. The officer had radioed dispatch with the names of the driver and the passenger, but dispatch could not identify the passenger by the name he had provided. After hearing the radio traffic, a TPD lieutenant and a field trainee arrived at the scene to assist and parked their patrol vehicle behind the officer’s patrol vehicle. When the passenger noticed backup officers had arrived, he fled the scene on foot. The officer, who was wearing body armor, pursued the subject, followed closely by the lieutenant. The field trainee remained with the vehicle’s driver. After a brief foot pursuit, the officer deployed his electronic control weapon and ordered the subject to get on the ground. Suddenly, the subject produced a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun and fired three rounds, striking the officer twice at close range. One round struck the officer in the front below his waist/groin area and one round fatally struck him in his front lower torso/abdomen below his vest. The wounded officer returned fire with four rounds from his service weapon and struck the subject four times. With the subject disabled, the officer radioed for help. The lieutenant arrived at the scene and detained the subject until backup and emergency personnel arrived. The victim officer was transported to a local hospital where he underwent surgery but died from his wounds on March 27. The 35-year-old subject was also transported to the hospital where he was treated for his injuries. Subsequent investigation revealed the suspect had given the victim officer a false name. At the time of the incident, the subject had an outstanding felony warrant for knowingly concealing stolen property. He was on a deferred sentence and had a criminal history including a violent crime, a weapons violation, and a drug law violation. He was charged with Capital Murder and First-Degree Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer.

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Puerto Rico

On September 11 at 10:26 p.m., a 34-year-old agent with the Police of Puerto Rico, Playa Precinct, was killed in an armed robbery in Ponce. The off-duty agent, a law enforcement veteran with 7 years’ experience, was inside a café. Outside the establishment, two suspects robbed four patrons who were playing dominoes, taking their money and jewelry. The first offender, gloved and wearing a bandana over his lower face, was carrying a handgun; the second offender had a knife. The gun-wielding offender entered the café and held up the agent and another customer. The agent responded by placing his belongings on a pool table and attempting to exit the establishment, but the offender would not allow him to leave. The agent took cover and fired six rounds from a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun at the offender. Five rounds struck the offender, who returned fire using two handguns of unknown caliber. Five rounds struck the agent in the front upper torso/chest, rear upper torso/back, rear lower torso/back, and front legs/feet. The agent died at the scene from his wounds. (The fatal wound was not identified.) The two suspects fled from the café in a waiting car driven by a third suspect. Later that night, a 911 caller reported a man in the street with a gunshot wound. Agents from the Playa Precinct responded, and while en route to the scene, agents came upon the vehicle from the scene of the robbery. Two men and a woman were nearby changing a flat tire on a separate vehicle. The officers took the three of them to the police station for questioning. Meanwhile, the gun-wielding offender was located and transported to the hospital for medical treatment and placed in FBI custody. Upon his discharge, the offender was arrested and charged with Carrying and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence Which Caused the Death of a Person. The next day, the knife-wielding offender and the driver of the getaway car were also arrested. The firearms used in this crime had not been recovered at the time of this publication. The 26-year-old offender had a criminal history of a weapons violation and a violent crime.

*****

During a traffic stop in Ponce on April 16 at 11:05 p.m., a 32-year-old agent with the Police of Puerto Rico, Villa Precinct, was fatally wounded in a confrontation with a man who was driving a suspicious vehicle with darkly tinted windows. The agent, who was a veteran with 6 years of law enforcement experience, and his partner directed the man to stop, but he turned into an alley and collided with a vehicle that was parked and experiencing mechanical issues. The officers ordered the man to exit his vehicle, but he rammed their patrol unit. He then got out and began firing shots from his .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun, striking the agent 12 times from close range. The agent was wearing body armor, but one of the rounds entered the side of the agent’s head. When the owner of the malfunctioning vehicle saw the confrontation, he pulled out his own weapon and fired a round into the offender’s leg. Unfortunately, during the incident, a man who was helping repair the parked vehicle also sustained a gunshot wound in one leg. Two backup officers arrested the offender, who was under the influence of marijuana and on parole. The victim agent died from his head wound on April 19. The 31-year-old offender was charged with First-Degree Murder, Automatic Firearm Possession, and Possession of Marijuana. He had a criminal history that included a drug law violation.

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Texas

On April 3 at 7 a.m., an assistant chief deputy with the Harris County Constable’s Office in Baytown was killed in an unprovoked attack in a courthouse parking lot as he arrived for work. The 57-year-old assistant chief was a veteran of law enforcement with nearly 29 years of experience. He was gathering items from his vehicle when he was shot twice, once in the side of his head and once in his front upper torso/chest, above his body armor. The assistant chief was able to remain standing, pointing out the direction the subject fled, and warning other officers of the continued danger. He was transported to the trauma center at a local hospital where he succumbed to the wound to the side of his head. The assistant chief served as the commander of the internal affairs unit, and a subsequent investigation revealed that the subject was angry about an internal affairs complaint he had filed that was not resolved to his satisfaction. The subject planned, stalked, and waited for the chief to arrive at work in order to ambush him with his 9 mm semiautomatic handgun. Video footage from the courthouse parking lot showed the subject had been at the parking lot the day before, casing it to see where the chief parked his vehicle. The 64-year-old subject had a criminal history including a drug law violation and a violent crime. He committed suicide on April 4.

*****

A 47-year-old detective with the Little Elm Police Department was shot and fatally wounded in a tactical situation at 4 p.m. on January 17. The veteran detective, who had more than 18 years of law enforcement experience, responded with the Little Elm SWAT team to a report of a person with a firearm. The first officers arrived on the scene and found the subject standing in his yard holding a 7.62x39 mm semiautomatic rifle. When officers challenged the subject, he barricaded himself inside the residence. Patrol officers established a perimeter and called for the SWAT team. The detective, who served as a marksman observer, arrived and established an observation point behind a vehicle. He covered the corner of the subject’s residence and the door the subject had entered when he fled. While the negotiator was trying to establish contact with the subject, the subject fired one round from inside the residence, striking the roadway in the direction of the detective. Within a minute, the subject fired a barrage of rounds in the direction of the detective through a window in the door. The victim detective, who was wearing protective body armor, was fatally struck once in the throat. A fellow officer positioned near the victim and an officer stationed on the perimeter fired at the subject, justifiably killing him. The 46-year-old subject was known to the police department for domestic violence incidents. He had prior arrests for assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, evading detention, a weapons violation, and a violent crime.

*****

On June 29 at 3:25 p.m., a 32-year-old San Antonio Police Department patrol officer was fatally wounded, and his partner, a 36-year-old patrol officer, was seriously wounded in an unprovoked attack. Each officer was a veteran of law enforcement with nearly 9 years of experience. The two officers were driving in a marked patrol unit and noticed two men walking away from several vehicles parked on the street. It appeared that the men had been tampering with the vehicles. The officers stopped to check the vehicles and then drove to the location of the two men. They instructed the men to approach the patrol unit. One of the men immediately complied and put his hands on the fender. The other man walked away, reached into his right front pocket, withdrew a .38-caliber revolver, and fired one round at the 36-year-old officer, who was walking around the patrol unit. The round struck the officer above his body armor in the lower front head and upper front torso/chest, knocking him to the ground. Then the offender fired two rounds at the 32-year-old officer, who was standing outside the patrol unit attempting to draw his service weapon. This officer was also wearing body armor, but one round struck the front of his head, and the other round struck his arms/hands. The offender, who was known to law enforcement as a user of a controlled substance, fired an additional round before running off. The 36-year-old officer rose to his feet and fired seven rounds from his .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun at the offender, striking the offender once in the side of his rear lower torso. The offender collapsed, and the 36-year-old officer moved around the vehicle to his partner, pulled him out of the line of fire, and began administering first aid. Both officers were transported to area trauma centers. The 32-year-old officer succumbed to his head wound the next day. The 36-year-old officer underwent surgery but had not returned to duty at the time of this publication. The offender, who was 34 years old, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head. His criminal history included a drug law violation and a violent crime.

*****

On November 23 at 3:46 p.m., a 41-year-old trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety was killed while conducting a routine traffic stop in Fairfield. The trooper was a veteran of law enforcement who had more than 15 years of experience. During the traffic stop, the vehicle’s driver fired six rounds at the trooper with an altered 7.62 mm semiautomatic rifle. One round fatally struck the trooper, who was wearing body armor, in the side of his head. The suspect left the scene and drove to another county. Law enforcement located the suspect, and a standoff ensued. Officers, with the aid of police dogs, took the 32-year-old suspect into custody less than 6 hours after the incident. The suspect, who was on conditional release pending criminal prosecution at the time of the incident, had a prior criminal record including assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, and a drug law violation. He was arrested and charged with Capital Murder, First-Degree Aggravated Assault Against a Public Servant, Evading Arrest Detention, and Third-Degree Evading Arrest Detention with Vehicle.

*****

A 48-year-old police officer with the Texas Tech Police Department (TTPD) was shot and killed around 7:45 p.m. on October 9 at the university’s police station while he was processing an individual suspected of firing a weapon in a dormitory. Earlier in the day, around 3:30 p.m., the officer, who had 5 months of law enforcement experience, arrived at a Texas Tech University (TTU) dormitory suite with another officer to investigate a reported odor of marijuana. The officers knocked on the suite door; however, no one answered, so they left. Approximately 2 hours later, the officer and a different backup officer went to the student union building and met with two TTU students, who lived in the same suite the officers had been to earlier. The students reported one of their suitemates had discharged a firearm inside his dorm room around 2 a.m. that morning. The officers returned to the dormitory suite to conduct a welfare check shortly before 6 p.m. They entered the dorm room and saw evidence of drug use and a pellet pistol in plain view, but the student who lived in the room was not there. The officers were collecting the items in plain sight when the student returned. Based on the visible evidence in the room, the officers searched the student, handcuffed him, and transported him to the TTU police station. In the briefing room, the officer was completing the paperwork required to transport the student to the Lubbock County Jail. The student requested to use the restroom, and the officer removed the handcuffs. The student attempted to enter a private restroom stall but was not allowed to do so. The student was escorted back to the briefing room and sat back down next to the officer, who was wearing body armor. Without warning, the student produced a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun from his pants and fired one round, mortally wounding the officer in the right side of his head. The suspect then fled the police station on foot. Officers set up a containment perimeter and took the suspect into custody less than 2 hours later. The 19-year-old suspect, who had a previous arrest for an alcohol violation, was known to possess a controlled substance and alcohol. He was arrested and charged with Capital Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer.

*****

A 30-year-old agent with the U.S. Border Patrol in El Paso died on May 24 from wounds he suffered 4 days earlier. In the early morning hours of May 20, the agent, who was a veteran of law enforcement with more than 8 years’ experience, was off duty and spending time with his friends at a tavern. As they exited for the evening and made their way to their vehicles, they saw a man pacing in the parking lot and arguing with someone via cell phone. The man noticed the group looking at him, and he yelled and cursed at them for staring. He abruptly ended his phone call and accosted the group. The confrontation escalated, and the man produced a knife. The agent showed his badge and tried to calm the suspect down. The suspect slapped the badge out of the agent’s hand and thrust the knife at him, slashing the agent’s leg and his chin. The agent’s friends came to his aid while the offender turned and ran. The agent quickly got up and pursued the offender. The offender suddenly turned and, with a backhanded forearm motion, stabbed the fast-approaching agent in the left eye/front of his head. The agent dropped to the ground. Witnesses captured the offender a block away. Around 2:30 a.m., Pebble Hills Regional Command officers were dispatched to the address of the stabbing. The agent was taken to a local hospital for emergency surgery. The stab wound was found to be severe, extending past the agent’s eye and into his brain. He was placed on life support and succumbed to the injury 4 days later. The offender had received abrasions during his capture and was also taken to a local hospital where he was treated, medically released, and transported to the violent crime unit of the El Paso Police Department where he spoke with detectives. The 39-year-old offender was initially charged with Criminal Attempted Murder. However, after the agent died on May 24, the charge was changed to Murder. The offender’s criminal history included previous convictions for a drug law violation and a violent crime.

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Virginia

A 45-year-old special agent with the Virginia State Police in Hanover was shot and fatally wounded on May 26 while investigating suspicious activity in Richmond. The agent, who was a veteran of law enforcement with more than 18 years of experience, was on patrol with a Richmond City Police Department (RCPD) officer driving through high-crime areas. At 7:20 p.m., they approached a housing development and noticed suspicious activity in a parked vehicle occupied by two individuals. The person in the driver’s seat saw the patrol unit and appeared to stuff something under his thigh or in the center console area. The officer stopped the patrol unit a short distance away from the vehicle, exited, and approached the vehicle on the driver’s side, and the agent approached the passenger’s side. The officer asked the driver to exit the vehicle and walk to the rear of the vehicle on the driver’s side. Once there, the officer patted the driver down. About this time, the agent gave the officer the signal to handcuff the driver, which the officer did. The agent, who was wearing protective body armor, asked the passenger to exit the vehicle, but a struggle ensued as the passenger got out of the vehicle. After securing the driver, the officer attempted to assist the agent. During the struggle, the passenger produced a .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol and fired one round, striking the agent in the front of his head. The agent collapsed, and the officer attempted to gain control of the passenger, who had fallen beside the special agent. The passenger eluded the officer and fled on foot. The officer contacted RCPD dispatch to report the wounded agent, and units responded immediately. The following day, the victim agent died from his wound, and the 27-year-old offender was located, arrested, and charged with Capital Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer and Use of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. The offender had a criminal history that included a violent crime.

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Wisconsin

A 40-year-old detective with the Everest Metropolitan Police Department was shot and fatally wounded at 1:20 p.m. on March 22 during a standoff. At 1 p.m., the 911 call center received a report of gunshots at a bank in Weston. Six minutes later, the call center received another report of shots fired, this time from an attorney’s office not far from the bank. Two bank employees and one law firm employee died from wounds they received during the shootings. Law enforcement received a description of the suspect’s vehicle and obtained the suspect’s name and address. Officers located the vehicle and followed it to the suspect’s residence. Officers from multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Everest Metropolitan detective, responded to the suspect’s address. The suspect was armed with a 7 mm bolt-action rifle and a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun. The detective, who was wearing body armor, was shot in the front of his head. After a 3-hour standoff, officers shot the suspect. The veteran detective, who had 18 years of law enforcement experience, and the suspect were transported to an area hospital where the detective succumbed to his injuries. The 45-year-old suspect was initially charged with four counts of First-Degree Intentional Homicide. The suspect died as the result of his wounds on April 1.

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