Page:Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, 2002.djvu/60

 apprehended a 39-year-old suspect after a motorist observed him hiding nearby under a small bridge and notified the authorities. The man, who had a prior arrest record, was arrested without incident and charged with two counts of Murder.

Just before 8:30 p.m. on January 19, a 36-year-old private with the Charleston Police Department, who had more than 6 years of law enforcement experience, was shot and killed in an unprovoked attack by an individual leaving a shooting at a fast-food restaurant. Before the incident, the suspect had been involved in a traffic accident near a restaurant where emergency medical personnel were eating. The personnel were tending to the individual when he became enraged and began firing a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun at them. As the suspect fled, he killed one paramedic and severely injured another. The fleeing suspect came upon the officer, who was wearing body armor and working an off-duty assignment at a local college dormitory. The suspect recognized him as a law enforcement officer and fired at the victim officer from a distance of 6-10 feet, striking him in the torso and arm and fatally in the head. The 19-year-old suspect escaped from that scene and fired at another officer also working off duty at another location. Following a footchase with several officers in pursuit, the suspect was apprehended. He was charged with two counts of Murder, Assault and Battery with Intent to Kill, and Possession of a Firearm during Violent Crime.

Shortly before 2:30 in the morning on July 7, a 38-year-old corporal with the South Carolina Highway Patrol was shot and killed during a traffic stop. While supervising a safety checkpoint in Goose Creek, the officer, who had more than 12 years of law enforcement experience, approached the passenger's side of a vehicle that had been stopped at the checkpoint. The passenger reportedly exited the car and fired twice at the corporal with a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun, mortally wounding him in the front lower torso/stomach area below his protective vest. The victim officer fired several rounds at the suspect who, it was later learned, was a prison escapee. The other officers also returned fire, wounding the suspect, whose weapon malfunctioned during the gunbattle. The 22-year-old alleged killer fled the scene but was later arrested and charged with Murder and two counts of Attempted Murder. The driver of the vehicle, a 20-year-old female, was arrested and charged with Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, Accessory After the Fact of Murder, and several drug offenses.

A patrol officer with the Myrtle Beach Police Department was fatally shot at 12:30 a.m. on December 29 while investigating a suspicious person. The 28-year-old patrol officer and another on-duty officer, each in a marked patrol vehicle, had stopped at the same time at an all-night restaurant for coffee. They observed a man who one of the officers recognized as a suspect in a recent shooting/homicide. The two officers approached the man in the parking lot, and knowing that the suspect was a potentially violent and armed offender, the officers attempted to search him for weapons. The officers turned the suspect around to do the search, and the man, who for only a few seconds had his back to the officers, suddenly turned around and fired two shots with a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun. Both rounds hit the patrol officer, who was wearing body armor, fatally in the front of the head. The other officer and the suspect exchanged gunfire. The suspect was hit in the leg but managed to get away in a car allegedly driven by his girlfriend. The 25-year-old man was apprehended a short time later and charged with Murder, Assault and Battery with Intent to Kill, Grand Larceny (value $5,000 or more), and Resisting Arrest with a Deadly Weapon.

TENNESSEE

A Chattanooga police officer with nearly 4 years of law enforcement experience was shot and killed with her service weapon, a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun, after struggling with a college student who had fled an area hospital while awaiting a mental evaluation. The 26-year-old officer was wearing body armor when she was shot seven times at close range in the front of the head, the front upper torso, arms, and fatally in the rear of the head. The incident occurred shortly before 1:30 p.m. on May 6. Earlier that day, another Chattanooga police officer had transported the male student to the hospital for a mental evaluation after school officials reported that the student was a danger to himself or others. While awaiting evaluation, the student escaped from the examination room, and the officer who had transported him to the hospital began chasing him. The officer requested assistance. Responding to the request, the victim officer notified the police dispatcher that she had the suspect in sight and that he was running. A few seconds later, the victim officer radioed the dispatcher that she was struggling with the suspect, and about 20 seconds after that, the officer said the suspect was trying to get her gun. Additional responding officers arrived at the scene to find the suspect was standing over the victim officer, who was lying on the ground. The 20-year-old male attempted to elude the responding officers but was taken into custody less than a block from the scene. After the shooting, the suspect had apparently thrown the victim officer's weapon into a drainage culvert, but other officers later recovered it during the crime scene investigation. The man, who was apparently under the influence of narcotics at the time of the incident, was arrested and charged with First-Degree Murder.

On December 4 about 6:05 p.m., a 33-year-old detective with the Narcotics Unit of the Shelby County Sheriff's Office was shot while assisting in the delivery of a search warrant for cocaine and marijuana violations at a home in Memphis. The detective, who had nearly 9 years of law enforcement experience, was assigned to guard the door-breaching team and to enter the residence first with his weapon. As the warrant team approached the residence, the detective positioned himself to the right of the front door. Entry officers knocked on the door, stated their official identity, and announced their intentions. When the occupant of the dwelling did not respond after a reasonable amount of time, the officers rammed the outer security door and began to breach the inner door. Someone inside the dwelling 54