Behind the Badge
It was a frightening Sunday for police officers across the country, with one officer killed and three others shot in four separate incidents.
In San Antonio, Texas a detective was shot and killed while writing a traffic ticket outside of the police station Sunday morning.
Police Chief William McManus said Det. Benjamin Marconi pulled over a car for a traffic violation and parked in front of the station.
While Marconi was inside his patrol car writing a citation, a black vehicle pulled up behind him and parked. Without any warning, the driver got out, walked up to the car window and shot Marconi in the head.
According to McManus, the suspect then reached into the vehicle and shot the detective a second time.
During a press conference, McManus described the execution-style slaying saying, “This is everyone’s worst nightmare.”
Officers are being ordered to conduct car stops in pairs until the killer is apprehended.
Marconi, 50, was the father of two grown children and became a grandfather earlier this year.
In another frightening shooting, a St. Louis police sergeant was shot twice in the face as he was stopped in traffic. The sergeant was stationary when a driver pulled up alongside him and started shooting.
St. Louis police Chief Sam Dotson described the scene: “This officer was driving down the road and was ambushed by an individual who pointed a gun at him from inside of his car and shot out the police officer’s window. This just shows the dangers of policing, not only here in St. Louis, but around the country.”
The sergeant is in critical condition, but is expected to survive.
The suspect later was located by undercover investigators. After seeing he was being followed, the suspect jumped out of a vehicle and fired at the pursuing officers. The suspect was killed a short distance away in a shootout.
In Sanibel, Fla. a suspect is in custody after Officer Jarred Ciccone was shot following a traffic stop Sunday night.
The shooting took place shortly before 8 p.m. when Ciccone was wounded in the shoulder by a drive-by shooter as he sat in his patrol car after completing a routine traffic stop.
The suspect was later apprehended after a shootout with responding officers. The suspect was wounded, but is expected to survive. The motive for the shooting is unknown.
Also Sunday night, a Gladstone, Mo. police officer was shot after stopping a vehicle for a traffic violation.
During the traffic stop, a passenger ran from the vehicle. Officers pursued the suspect.
As officers attempted to take the suspect into custody, a struggle ensued. During the struggle, the suspect pulled a handgun. Shots were fired and the suspect was fatally wounded. The officer also was wounded by gunfire.
The Gladstone officer’s injuries required surgery, but he is expected to survive.
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, 58 officers have been killed by gunfire in 2016 — that is a 71 percent increase from last year. LESMA reports there have been 250 officers shot in the United States this year.
