Page:Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, 2002.djvu/53

 unit that responded to numerous calls of two street gang members in the area of a rival street gang. Gunshots were also reported being fired. Members of the air unit spotted the two suspects; one suspect hid in a backyard and the other forced his way into a nearby residence. The deputies learned that inside the house there were two women who were afraid to leave. Fearing a hostage situation, they went to the residence and ordered the suspect to come out, but he refused. With the house surrounded by law enforcement personnel, a group of deputies attempted to kick in the front door. The suspect fired four shots from a .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol. One shot entered through the armhole of the victim officer's protective vest and struck him in the chest. The victim officer attempted to draw his weapon as another deputy fired one round from his shotgun through the front door. The round struck the suspect in the right side and back. The 21-year-old suspect, who was on probation and under the influence of a controlled substance at the time of the incident, then shot himself in the head and died at the scene. The victim officer was transported to a local hospital where he died the same day. Officials later discovered that the occupants of the home had managed to escape before the deputies arrived.

 FLORIDA 

On November 13, a sergeant, aged 47, with the Tallahassee Police Department was shot and killed at 8 p.m. while responding to a robbery in progress. Reportedly, after kicking in the back door of a residence, a man held two females at gunpoint in the living room while he searched for drugs. Eventually, the man put the females in the bathroom and continued to loot their home, placing jewelry and compact discs into a pillowcase that he took to his vehicle; he then returned to remove a computer. While in the bathroom, one of the females called 911 on a cellular telephone, and officers with the Tallahassee Police Department were dispatched to the residence. Upon arriving, the sergeant, who had nearly 14 years' law enforcement experience, parked one block away and walked toward the residence, which was located at the end of a dead end road with no lighting. After observing an idling vehicle at the end of the driveway, the veteran sergeant radioed dispatch with the vehicle's license plate number. A second officer arrived at the scene and went to the rear of the residence; the sergeant moved toward the side of the residence where the front door was located. When the sergeant approached the door with his weapon drawn, a man emerged with a .357-caliber revolver and shot the sergeant fatally in the back of his head from a distance of 5 feet or less, as well as in the stomach below his body armor, the back, below his waist in the back, and his arms and hands. A third officer entering the area then saw the individual get into his vehicle and flee the scene through a field. Within minutes, officers located the vehicle and a pursuit ensued. They hit the assailant's vehicle with the police car, and both vehicles slid from the roadway. Officers then apprehended the man, who confessed to the robbery and to firing the handgun at the scene of the crime. The 32-year-old suspect, who had an extensive criminal history and had been released from prison 4½ months earlier, was arrested and charged with Homicide of a Law Enforcement Officer, Robbery with a Firearm, Burglary of a Dwelling, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Fleeing Police, and Kidnapping.

 GEORGIA 

A 42-year-old lieutenant with the Carroll County Sheriff's Office was killed at 9:30 p.m. on September 3 while investigating a suspicious person. The lieutenant responded to a 911 call from a person who had reportedly witnessed a man setting fire to a residence in Carrollton. The witness also reported seeing the suspect fleeing with a can of gasoline from the burning dwelling, which was later discovered to be the suspect's residence. The witness followed the man's vehicle and continued to update the 911 center with information that was passed on to all patrol units. The veteran officer, with over 20 years of law enforcement experience, was the first officer to intercept the suspect's vehicle. As the lieutenant attempted to pull over the suspect, a high-speed chase ensued. The alleged arsonist, who was reportedly distraught over his impending divorce, eventually stopped his vehicle and fled on foot, and the officer ran after him. The man entered a nearby residence where he allegedly fired 12 close-range rounds from a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun, killing the 85-year-old owner. The suspect immediately exited the residence, firing additional rounds at the pursuing officer. One of the rounds fatally struck the victim officer in his chest. The suspect ran back into the house and then out again as he fired at officers who were arriving at the scene. The 31-year-old male, who had previous charges against him for Aggravated Assault with a Motor Vehicle, Fleeing and Attempting to Elude Officer for Felony, and Failure to Appear, was shot by the officers and died shortly after being transported to a local hospital. The victim officer died at the scene.

 ILLINOIS 

A veteran police officer with the Chicago Police Department died March 19 of injuries sustained the previous day while trying to serve a bench warrant. Shortly after 10 p.m. on March 18, the 47-year-old officer, with more than 20 years of experience in law enforcement, and his partner arrived at a residence to serve a bench warrant requiring the officers to bring the individual to court and authorizing forced entry into the residence, if necessary. Identifying themselves as police officers, the officers knocked on the door several times, but the occupant refused to open the door. A neighbor of the occupant also tried in vain to get the individual to open the door. Subsequently, the officer obtained a sledgehammer, again identified himself as a police officer, and asked that the occupant open the door. When the occupant still refused to open the door, the officer hit it with the sledgehammer. His partner heard a gunshot and saw the victim officer fall across the door's threshold. The victim officer had been shot in the front of the head at close range with a .22-caliber semiautomatic handgun. The victim officer's partner and the neighbor took cover while the suspect continued shooting. The partner called for help, and additional officers responded to Rh