Today is the 13th day of January, 2019, and seven of our nation’s police officers have been killed since the beginning of the year.
Please keep their families, fellow officers and friends in your thoughts and prayers, along with all of our law enforcement officers each day during their tour of duty.
These are the officers who have tragically lost their lives:
Master Police Officer Joseph Shinners
Provo Police Department, UT
EOW: Saturday, January 5, 2019
Cause: Gunfire
Master Police Officer Joseph Shinners, 29, was shot outside of a Bed Bath and Beyond in Orem while trying to apprehend a fugitive.
The fugitive, a 40-year-old man, was homeless or living with friends in the area, and was known to have made violent threats to police officers in the past, according to Orem Police Chief Gary Giles.
During the apprehension, the fugitive was also shot.
Officer Shinners had served with the Provo Police Department for three years, and is survived by his wife and young son.
(The suspect in the fatal shooting that took the life of Provo Police Officer Joseph Shinners had a history of threatening violence against police, according to investigators. Courtesy of abc4utah and YouTube. Posted on Jan 6, 2019.)
Police Officer Dale Woods
Colerain Township Police Department, OH
EOW: Monday, January 7, 2019
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Colerain Township Police Officer Dale Woods, 46, was directing traffic at the scene of a crash, when he was struck by a pickup truck and critically injured Friday night, January 4th.
He succumbed to his injuries around 8 p.m. Monday.
Officer Woods had served with the Colerain Township Police Department for 15 years, and is survived by his three children.
(“There are some guys you teach how to be policemen, and there are some guys who are born to be policemen,” an emotional Colerain Township police Chief Mark Denney said Monday night. Woods was the second kind. Courtesy of WCPO.com | 9 On Your Side and YouTube. Posted on Jan 7, 2019.)
Police Officer Clayton Townsend
Salt River Police Department, TR
EOW: Tuesday, January 8, 2019
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Officer Clayton Townsend was struck and killed by a vehicle while conducting a traffic stop, in Scottsdale at 6:00 pm.
Officer Townsend was approaching a car he had stopped, when he was struck by another vehicle.
He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The driver who struck him admitted to texting and driving at the time of the crash, and has been charged with manslaughter, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and endangerment.
Officer Townsend had served with the Salt River Police Department for five years. He is survived by his wife and 10-month-old child.
(Friends and family honor the memory of fallen Salt River Officer Clayton Townsend with a candlelight vigil. Townsend was killed in the line of duty by a distracted driver. Courtesy of 12 News and YouTube. Posted on Jan 11, 2019.)
Police Officer Chatéri Payne
Shreveport Police Department, LA
EOW: Wednesday, January 9, 2019
Cause: Gunfire
Shreveport Police Officer Chatéri Payne, 22, was heading to work when she was shot multiple times, gunned down while she was preparing to go on shift.
Officer Payne was a mother, former track star, and a rookie officer who had been on the job less than two months. She leaves behind a young child.
Police are still searching for the suspect.
(Police in Shreveport, Louisiana, are investigating after one of their own officers, Chateri Payne, was gunned down outside a home Wednesday night as she left to start her night shift. Payne graduated from the police academy in November. Courtesy of CBS News and YouTube. Posted on Jan 10, 2019.)
Police Officer Natalie Corona
Davis Police Department, CA
EOW: Thursday, January 10, 2019
Cause: Gunfire
Davis Police Officer Natalie Corona, 22, had been on the beat for just a few weeks in her department, was shot and killed Thursday evening while responding to a traffic accident in the Northern California college town.
Officer Corona was conducting an investigation at the collision scene a person not involved with the crashed rode up to the scene on a bicycle. As
Officer Corona was speaking to one of the persons involved in the crash, when a man not involved with the crashed rode up to the scene on a bicycle, walked up to her and opened fire without warning.
The suspect shot her several more times after she fell to the ground, before shooting randomly at bystanders and vehicles nearby.
Officer Corona’s suspected killer was found dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a house in the area.
She graduated the academy in July 2018, and completed her field training three weeks prior to the incident.
Officer Corona was a second-generation officer, as her father, is a retired Colusa County sheriff’s sergeant in California, having served 26 years.
She is survived by her parents.
(Davis Police Officer Natalie Corona, who was sworn in two weeks ago, was shot and killed by a gunman after responding to a traffic collision. The shooter was later found dead. Anne Makovec reports. Courtesy of KPIX CBS SF Bay Area and YouTube. Posted on January 11, 19)
Trooper Christopher Lambert
Illinois State Police, IL
EOW: Saturday, January 12, 2019
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Illinois Trooper Christopher Lambert, 34, was on his way home when he came across a crash involving multiple cars on the northbound lanes of I-294 when he stopped on the left shoulder to render aid.
He was standing outside of his vehicle when he was struck by another vehicle that failed to slow down or move over.
An Illinois state trooper was fatally struck by a motorist on I-294 while he investigated a crash he came across on his way home, according to officials.
“He died preventing others from injury,” a spokesperson for state police said. https://t.co/spzhxr3ivD
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) January 13, 2019
Trooper Lambert was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Illinois State Police for five years.
He is survived by his wife, and one year old daughter, and his parents.
(Dozens of troopers lined the streets to honor Illinois State Police trooper Christopher Lambert, 34, who was fatally struck by a passing car that failed to slow down or move over. Courtesy of CBS Chicago and YouTube. Posted on Jan 13, 2019.)
Sergeant Wytasha Carter
Birmingham Police Department, Alabama
EOW: Sunday, January 13, 2019
Cause: Gunfire
Sergeant Wytasha Carter was shot and killed as he and another officer attempted to arrest two men who were breaking into vehicles, as part of a special detail as the result of a recent rash of vehicle break-ins.
A plainclothes officer and Sergeant Carter stopped the two subjects and began to pat them down for weapons, when one of the men suddenly pulled a handgun and shot officers, fatally wounding Sergeant Carter and critically wounding the plainclothes officers.
One of the subjects was wounded by return gunfire before both men were taken into custody.
.@BhamPolice Sergeant Wytasha Carter was more than just a cop who was senselessly murdered. He was a husband and a father — your neighbor. Together with the communities we serve, the men & women in blue must carry on his work of preventing crime and violence.#NeverForget pic.twitter.com/VX3z4K4Q8q
— Chief Terence Monahan (@NYPDChiefofDept) January 13, 2019
Sergeant Carter was a U.S. Air Force veteran.
He had served with the Birmingham Police Department for eight years and had previously served with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Leeds Police Department, and Fairfield Police Department for an additional nine years.
He is survived by his wife and children.
(Hear from Sgt. Carter discussing the departments efforts to address violence in Alabama, at an event held in February 2017. Courtesy of CBS 42 and YouTube. Posted on Feb 18, 2017.)
Editor’s note: Our thoughts and prayers are with families of these officers, both blood and blue. Thank you to each of these officers for the bravery and sacrifice, in serving their communities with pride and distinction. They will not be forgotten.
#herodown #officerdown #endofwatch #officerkilled #lineofdutydeath #thinblueline
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