Twelve officers died during March, a dramatic jump after last month’s low of four LODDs. Of the officers lost last month, eight died as the result of gunfire. This is notable because there were only two gunfire deaths in January and one in February. Despite the spike, gunfire deaths so far this year are down 15% compared to the same time last year. Keep in mind that 2013 saw a record low number of deaths by gunfire (30). In addition to the officers lost to gunfire, we lost three in vehicle crashes and one to an on-duty heart attack.
As we close out the first quarter of 2014, we have lost 25 officers—a terrible number but an indication that we’re continuing to lower the frequency of LODDs. Consider this: Only five times in the last 100 years has the first quarter LODD total been lower than 25 and all of those occurrences were more than 50 years ago!
Over the course of the last two decades, we frequently heard variations of this terrible phrase, “Every 53 hours in this country an officer is killed in the line of duty.” There was a time when this was true but we’ve improved the situation immensely. In fact, if you look at this past quarter and update the phrase, here’s how it would read today: “Every 86 hours in this country an officer is killed in the line of duty.” That’s a dramatic difference.
The written word can never adequately convey the horrible tragedy of any line-of-duty death. The twelve officers we lost last month, ranging in age from ranging in age from 22 to 62, each had hopes and dreams and loved ones who will miss them terribly. On behalf of everyone at Law Officer, I extend the deepest condolences to those who have lost an officer.
Listed in order of occurrence, following are summaries of our losses for March.
Detective John Hobbs, 43, Phoenix Police Department, was shot and killed as he and other members of the Major Offenders Unit attempted to serve a felony warrant on a man who had recently been released from prison. The suspect was spotted in a vehicle and a chase ensued. When the suspect crashed, he fled on foot and opened fire on the detectives, striking Detective Hobbs and his partner, Albert (AJ) Casados. Hobbs managed to return fire and strike the suspect who later died. Both detectives were transported to the hospital where Hobbs succumbed to his wounds.
Officer Nicholas Lee, 40, Los Angeles Police Department, died when his patrol vehicle collided with a large commercial vehicle near Beverly Hills. He and a trainee were responding to a call when the crash occurred at approximately 8:00 am. The trainee and the truck driver suffered serious injuries.
Agent Joaquín Correa-Ortega, 36, Puerto Rico Police Department, was shot and killed while conducting an undercover arms purchase in a wooded area of the Pitaya neighborhood in Humacao. He and another agent were at a location often used for illegal trade and were in the process of conducting a transaction when they were fired upon. Agent Correa-Ortega was killed and the other agent was shot in the head but survived. Four subjects were arrested and charged in connection with the murder of Correa-Ortega.
Officer Jason Crisp, 38, U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations, and his canine, Maros, were shot and killed in Burke County, N.C., while participating in a manhunt for a subject who had committed two murders. Crisp and other officers were searching for the 38-year-old subject after the bodies of his parents were found in their home. The subject had previously served time for manslaughter. Crisp and Maros were fatally wounded when the subject opened fire on officers. The subject then stole Crisp’s duty weapon and fled farther into a wooded area. He was subsequently located and killed when he opened fire on other officers.
Officer Marc Kelley, 41, Trinity (Texas) University Police Department, suffered a fatal heart attack while responding to an afternoon fire alarm call on the campus. While checking the building he began to experience trouble breathing and activated his radio's emergency button. Responding officers initiated CPR and Kelley was transported to Downtown Baptist Hospital, where he died two days later.
Chief Deputy Pete Richardson, 50, Lafayette County (Ark.) Sheriff’s Department, was killed in a three car collision on Highway 82, west of Lewisville, shortly before 3:00 pm. Richardson was transporting a homeless man to a shelter when the subject grabbed the steering wheel, causing the department vehicle to collide with another vehicle and a tractor trailer. The subject being transported survived and has been charged with murder.
Officer Jim Morrissy, 62, Oak Forest (Ill.) Police Department, died as the result of injuries suffered in a vehicle crash while responding to assist another officer on a domestic dispute call.
He was transported to a medical center where he succumbed to his injuries several hours later.
Deputy Ricky Del Fiorentino, 48, Mendocino County (Calif.) Sheriff’s Department, was shot and killed while searching for a subject who had abducted two people in Oregon and later shot a store owner in California. Officers from several agencies were involved in the search effort when Fiorentino came across the subject’s car on a dirt road near MacKerricher State Park. The subject opened fire, firing multiple rounds and fatally wounding Del Fiorentino before he had a chance to exit his vehicle. Another officer heard the gunfire and responded, spotting the subject going through the slain officer’s patrol car. A gunfight ensued and the subject was killed.
Officer Robert German, 31, Windermere Police Department, (Fla.) was shot and killed while investigating two suspicious people at approximately 4:00 am. When an Orange County sheriff's deputy and an Orlando police officer arrived at the location they discovered that German had been shot. Moments later they heard additional gunshots in the area and used their patrol cars to shield German so he could be extracted from the area. He was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center where he succumbed to his wounds. Two suspects, a male and female, were subsequently found dead near the scene. Both had self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
Master-at-Arms Mark Mayo, 24, United States Navy, was shot and killed aboard the USS Mahan by a civilian who had boarded the ship while it was docked in Norfolk, Virginia. The subject was confronted by the watch officer on the ship’s quarterdeck and a struggle ensued, during which the subject gained control of a firearm and used it to fatally shoot Mayo. The subject was shot and killed by responding security forces. He had used credentials to improperly enter the base while driving a tractor trailer.
Officer Alexander Thalmann, 22, New Bern (N.C.) Police Department, died three days after being shot while contacting a subject who had been riding a bicycle at approximately 11:45 p.m. He called for another unit and the subject fled on foot, then suddenly opened fire, striking Thalmann in the face and another officer in the leg. Other officers returned fire and killed the subject. Thalmann had only been serving for seven months at the time of his death.
Officer Dave Smith, 43, Johnson City (N.Y.) Police Department, was shot and killed with his own service weapon after responding to a disturbance call at a medical business. An employee had been arguing with other employees and assaulted one of them. When Smith arrived on scene the employee who was creating problems ran towards the patrol vehicle and attacked Smith before he could exit or call for help. The subject disarmed Smith and shot him while he was still in the car. The man opened fire on a second officer who returned fire and killed the subject.
We must not waiver in our efforts to reduce LODDs because this is literally a matter of life and death. We have made progress that many thought was impossible, but it has come at the expense of hard-learned lessons based on the sacrifices of thousands of fallen officers.
The sad truth is that many of our losses, including some this month, were preventable and, candidly, they just didn’t have to happen. We all have a responsibility to improve officer safety, both individually and across the profession. We must learn from the terrible lessons of the past so that we don't continue to repeat deadly mistakes. No line-of-duty death should ever be considered as acceptable or without consequence. The best way for us to honor our fallen is by training the living. Those who have given their lives would want nothing less.
Special thanks to our valued Below 100 partners at the Officer Down Memorial Page (www.odmp.org) for providing the information that is used to compile this report every month.
