Eighteen officers lost their lives in the line of duty during May. This marks the deadliest month in American law enforcement since December, 2011 when 21 officers died. Every LODD is a tragedy, but to lose so many officers during the month when we remember our fallen is like salt in an open wound – it really hurts. Vehicle-related incidents claimed eight lives, two of which appear to have been intentional rather than accidental. Seven officers died as the result of gunfire and three succumbed to duty-related heart attacks.
On behalf of everyone at Law Officer, I extend the deepest condolences to every coworker, family member and agency that has experienced a line-of-duty loss. Here are summaries of our fallen during the month of May, listed in order of occurrence.
Alaska State Trooper Gabe Rich, 26, and Sergeant Scott Johnson, 45, were shot and killed while investigating reports that a person had brandished a firearm in the village of Tanana several days earlier. Both troopers had gone to the home of a suspect and were shot to death during the course of the investigation. A 20-year-old suspect was taken into custody and is charged with murder.
Los Angeles Police Department Officer Robert Sanchez, 32, died when his patrol car was intentionally rammed by a vehicle while attempting to make a traffic stop. Officer Sanchez and his partner were in the Harbor City section of the city and were trying to stop a vehicle on Anaheim Street. The vehicle made a sudden U-turn and as the patrol car made a U-turn, an SUV rammed it at a high rate of speed. Both officers were trapped in the vehicle and Officer Sanchez's partner was unable to reach his radio to call for assistance, ultimately using his mobile phone to call 9-1-1. Both officers were removed from the vehicle by responding emergency units. They were taken to a local hospital where Officer Sanchez died from his injuries. The two occupants of the SUV fled on foot but were subsequently captured.
Florida State Trooper Chelsea Richard, 30, was struck and killed by a vehicle while investigating an accident on I-75, near mile marker 341, at approximately 2:00 p.m. The vehicles involved in the accident had been moved to the shoulder. She was speaking with a tow truck driver and a family member of a crash victim when another accident occurred at the same location. A pickup truck pulling a trailer left the roadway and struck all three individuals, killing Trooper Richard and the tow truck driver. The person Trooper Richard was talking to suffered severe injuries and died several days later.
Eatonton (Ga.) Police Officer Noel Hawk, 52, suffered a fatal heart attack shortly after breaking up a fight at a fast food restaurant.at approximately 8:00 p.m. He and several other officers had responded to a dispute between an adult and a juvenile and were able to calm the situation before clearing the scene. A short time later several family members and friends of the subjects arrived at the location and a disturbance occurred. Officers responded to the scene again and were placing two subjects under arrest when Officer Hawk suddenly collapsed and subsequently died.
Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Master Sergeant John Collum, 56, was struck and killed by a vehicle on John Rankin Highway, just north of Fulton, while investigating a prowler at approximately 10:00 p.m. Sergeant Collum’s neighbor had called him to report the prowler, causing him to go out and investigate. He was struck by a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed on the highway. The driver of the vehicle remained at the scene and was taken into custody by Itawamba County deputies.
Metro Nashville (Tenn.) Police Officer Michael Petrina, 25, was struck and killed by an automobile on northbound I-65, at the Old Hickory Boulevard exit. Petrina was at the scene of an accident and was speaking with a Department of Transportation employee when a motorhome swerved into the accident scene and struck him. Charges are pending against the driver. Officer Petrina had been on the job for eight months.
Killeen (Texas) Police Detective Charles (Chuck) Dinwiddie, 47, died two days after being shot while conducting a SWAT operation at an apartment complex. Officers were serving a narcotics search warrant about 5:30 a.m. when a subject inside of the apartment opened fire. Detective Dinwiddie and three other officers were wounded during the shooting. Dinwiddie was transported to Scott & White Hospital, suffering from a gunshot wound to the face. The other officers sustained non-life threatening wounds. Two subjects were taken into custody following the shooting.
Brentwood (N.H.) Police Officer Stephen Arkell, 48, was shot and killed after responding to a domestic dispute at a home shortly before 5:00 p.m. He had entered the home at the request of the elderly owner and was subsequently shot by the owner’s son. When another officer entered the home he was fired upon and had to withdraw. The suspect set the home on fire and a massive propane explosion occurred which destroyed the structure. The suspect is believed to have been killed in the explosion.
Franklin County (Ga.) Deputy Sheriff Cruz Thomas, 26, was killed in a vehicle crash on I-85 while attempting to catch a traffic violator at approximately 9:00 p.m. A tractor trailer traveling in the same direction attempted to change lanes and Deputy Thomas’ vehicle went off the highway, overturned and struck several trees. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His father is the sheriff of Franklin County.
Michigan Department of Corrections Officer Chad Charles, 42, suffered a fatal heart attack while participating in a quarterly training exercise with the agency's Emergency Response Team at Camp Grayling. He collapsed during a building clearing scenario. Other members of the ERT team performed CPR until he was transported to a local hospital, where he passed away.
Salt River Tribal (Ariz.) Police Officer Jair Cabrera, 37, was shot and killed while making a traffic stop near the intersection of Chaparral Road and Pima Road, on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, at 3:05 a.m. The vehicle pulled into a gas station near Scottsdale. A subject armed with a rifle exited the car, steadied the rifle on the roof and opened fire. Officer Cabrera was struck in the head by one of the rounds before he exited his patrol car. Three subjects fled the scene on foot but were all apprehended.
U.S. Border Patrol Agent Alexander Giannini, 25, died as the result of a vehicle crash near Benson, Ariz. Giannini was driving an agency truck and had another agent as a passenger. A tire failure occurred and the vehicle went off the roadway and overturned. Giannini, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected and subsequently died as a result of his injuries. The other agent, who was wearing a seat belt, sustained minor injuries and is expected to fully recover.
New York State Trooper Christopher Skinner, 42, was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver on I-81 in Broome County. He was conducting a traffic stop when he was intentionally struck by a vehicle that crossed two lanes of traffic before hitting him. The subject subsequently abandoned the vehicle and ran into the woods. He was apprehended approximately one hour later and told investigators he intentionally struck the trooper. He has been charged with murder.
U.S. Special Deputy Marshal Frank McKnight, 69, died one day after being struck by a transit bus outside of the U.S. District Courthouse in Providence, R.I. He was on duty and using a crosswalk near the courthouse when the bus struck him. He was transported to Rhode Island Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Norfolk (Va.) Police Officer Brian Jones, 35, was shot and killed while investigating an earlier shooting. Shortly before 11:00 p.m. a subject had been randomly firing his gun at citizens and killed a 17-year-old boy. A short time later Officer Jones located a suspect vehicle parked outside of a home and an off-duty officer joined him to serve as back up. While they were assessing the situation, the subject opened fire with a high-powered rifle from inside his home. Both officers were wounded. The subject fled the scene in his vehicle but was located by another officer and pursued. After the vehicle crashed, the subject exited with a firearm and began struggling with the officer who pursued him. The subject was shot and killed during the ensuing struggle.
Potter County (Texas) Sheriff’s Sergeant Paul Buckles, 58, collapsed while participating in an active shooter training exercise involving multiple agencies in the Canyon area. He was treated at the scene by other officers and EMTs before being transported to a local hospital where he passed away.
Griffin (Ga.) Police Officer Kevin Jordan, 43, was shot and killed while arresting a female subject during an overtime assignment at approximately 2:30 a.m. He was working at a Waffle House when three customers began creating a disturbance. He escorted the three outside, but the female subject began fighting with him. After subduing the woman he was placing her in handcuffs on the ground when one of the male subjects shot Jordan in the back three times. The bullets penetrated his body armor, fatally wounding the officer. Jordan’s civilian brother, who had come to the location to speak with him, witnessed the shooting. His brother, who was armed, shot and wounded the subject, who was taken into custody.
These 18 fallen officers left behind parents, spouses and children who will feel their loss the rest of their lives. Fellow officers, agencies and even entire communities are impacted when an officer is killed.
Despite the pain or discomfort we must be willing to objectively and constructively examine each loss and determine how we can prevent future deaths. We cannot afford to simply move on and accept any loss as a cost of doing business. Each and every one of these officers will be forever mourned by their affected families and departments and we owe them nothing less. We must honor the fallen by training the living.
It is imperative that we hold each other accountable and speak up when we see others taking unnecessary chances or failing to use safety equipment like seat belts and body armor. We can drive down this horrible number that causes more names to be added to the National Memorial every year. We have already shown that common-sense officer safety can truly make a difference and you can be part of that effort. Check out the Below 100 program at www.Below100.com. Remember: The life you save may be your own!
Special thanks to our partners at the Officer Down Memorial Page, www.ODMP.org, for their assistance each month in documenting how these officers died.
