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The 2009 Law Enforcement Memorial Service was held May 14, 2010 at 9:00 am.
at the Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff Paul C. May, and the Staff of the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office, want to thank each and every one of you that took the time out of your busy schedule to attend the memorial service.
Nationwide in 2009, 126 Law Enforcement Officers lost their lives.
The 8 Officers from Florida are listed as follows:
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Hernando County Sheriff's Office
Florida
End of Watch: Thursday, February 19, 2009
Cause: Automobile accident
Biographical Info
Age: 42
Tour of Duty: 23 years
Badge Number: 206
Captain Scott Bierwiler was killed when his patrol car was struck head-on by a teenage driver on Powell Road, just south of Brooksville.
Captain Bierwiler had served with the Hernando County Sheriff's Office for 23 years. He is survived by his wife, three children, mother, sister, and brother.
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Corrections Officer Adam Michael Sanderson
Florida Department of Corrections
Florida
End of Watch: Friday, March 6, 2009
Biographical Info
Age: 32
Tour of Duty: 10 years
Badge Number: 44548
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Vehicular assault
Date of Incident: Friday, March 6, 2009
Weapon Used: Automobile
Suspect Info: Not available
Corrections Officer Adam Sanderson was killed in automobile crash when the driver of a vehicle fleeing the scene of a stabbing struck the DOC van head-on in Union County.
Officer Sanderson, who was driving the van, was killed in the crash and a second officer was injured. The two officers were conducting a perimeter check while participating in a mock escape drill at the the time.
The suspect driving the truck, who was also a Department of Corrections employee, was also killed in the crash.
Officer Sanderson had served with the agency for 10 years. He is survived by his wife and son.
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Corrections Officer Mark Lindsey Parker
Orange County Sheriff's Office
Florida
End of Watch: Thursday, March 19, 2009
Biographical Info
Age: 44
Tour of Duty: 1 year
Badge Number: Not available
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Tuesday, January 10, 1984
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Executed in 2000
Corrections Officer Mark Parker succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained on January 10, 1984, in the Orange County Courthouse.
A suspect had gone to the courthouse with the intention of shooting a police officer who had given him a traffic ticket. The suspect entered a courtroom and exchanged gunfire with Deputy Harry Dalton, mortally wounding him. He then shot and killed Deputy Arnold Wilkerson in the courtroom and shot at the judge, but missed.
After exiting the courtroom he exchanged shots with another deputy in hallway. Officer Parker, who was unarmed, was caught in the crossfire while attempting to shield citizens in the hallway. He was left paralyzed from the chest down and required round-the-clock care for the remainder of his life.
The suspect was convicted of murder and executed in June of 2000. Officer Parker attended the execution.
Officer Parker had served with the Orange County Department of Corrections for only one year, and was 19 years old at the time of the shooting. He was later made an honorary deputy.
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Deputy Sheriff Burton (Burt) Lopez
Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
Florida
End of Watch: Saturday, April 25, 2009
Biographical Info
Age: 44
Tour of Duty: 6 years
Badge Number: 195
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Saturday, April 25, 2009
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Shot and killed
Deputy Burt Lopez and Deputy Skip York were shot and killed while attempting to arrest a domestic violence suspect.
The deputies were following up on a domestic assault report they had taken hours earlier, and located the suspect at a gun club in Crestview. The suspect was in the parking lot standing next to his truck. Deputy Lopez and Deputy York approached the suspect, had a brief conversation with him, and then informed him he was going to be arrested. As the deputies moved to handcuff the him, he became uncooperative and began to resist arrest. Deputy York fired his Taser (conducted energy device) and hit the suspect. The suspect dropped to the ground during the five-second jolt of electricity. When the Taser cycle ended, the suspect immediately drew a concealed handgun and opened fire. Deputy Lopez was able to radio for assistance while he and Deputy York engaged the suspect in a gun battle.
During the exchange of gunfire, Deputy Lopez was mortally wounded. The suspect then climbed in his truck to escape. Deputy York pulled the passenger-side door open and jumped inside in an effort to pull the suspect from the vehicle, but was shot and mortally wounded.
The suspect fled the scene and opened fire at deputies from the Walton County Sheriff's Department during a vehicle pursuit. The suspect's vehicle was rammed by deputies, causing it to flip over near the intersection of U.S. Highway 331 and U.S. 90 in DeFuniak Springs. The suspect exited the truck, and opened fire at the deputies, who returned fire, killing the suspect.
Deputies York and Lopez were airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. They succumbed to their injuries later in the day.
Deputy Lopez had served with the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office for six years. He is survived by his wife and children.
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Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
Florida
End of Watch: Saturday, April 25, 2009
Cause: Gunfire
Biographical Info
Age: 44
Tour of Duty: 2 years
Badge Number: 260
Deputy Skip York and Deputy Burt Lopez were shot and killed while attempting arrest a domestic violence suspect.
The deputies were following up on a domestic assault report they had taken hours earlier, and located the suspect at a gun club in Crestview. The suspect was in the parking lot standing next to his truck. Deputy Lopez and Deputy York approached the suspect, had a brief conversation with him, and then informed him he was going to be arrested. As the deputies moved to handcuff the him, he became uncooperative and began to resist arrest. Deputy York fired his Taser (conducted energy device) and hit the suspect. The suspect dropped to the ground during the five-second jolt of electricity. When the Taser cycle ended, the suspect immediately drew a concealed handgun and opened fire. Deputy Lopez was able to radio for assistance while he and Deputy York engaged the suspect in a gun battle.
During the exchange of gunfire, Deputy Lopez was mortally wounded. The suspect then climbed in his truck to escape. Deputy York pulled the passenger-side door open and jumped inside in an effort to pull the suspect from the vehicle, but was shot and mortally wounded.
The suspect fled the scene and opened fire at deputies from the Walton County Sheriff's Department during a vehicle pursuit. The suspect's vehicle was rammed by deputies, causing it to flip over near the intersection of U.S. Highway 331 and U.S. 90 in DeFuniak Springs. The suspect exited the truck, and opened fire at the deputies, who returned fire, killing the suspect.
Deputies York and Lopez were airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. They succumbed to their injuries later in the day.
Deputy York had served with the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office for two years. He is survived by his wife and children.
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Miami-Dade Police Department
Florida
End of Watch: Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Cause: Automobile accident
Biographical Info
Age: 23
Tour of Duty: 1 year
Badge Number: Not available
Police Officer Giovanni Gonzalez was killed when his patrol car collided with a dump truck on Florida's Turnpike between Southwest 120th Street and Southwest 152nd Street.
Officer Gonzalez had served with the agency for one year. He is survived by his mother.
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Tampa Police Department
Florida
End of Watch: Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Cause: Gunfire
Biographical Info
Age: 38
Tour of Duty: 11 years
Badge Number: 12
Corporal Mike Roberts was shot and killed while investigating a suspicious person in the Sulphur Springs area of the city.
He noticed the man pushing a shopping cart along the roadway and stopped to question him. During the questioning the man began to struggle with Corporal Roberts. The suspect produced a handgun and struck Corporal Roberts several times before shooting him once the chest. The round struck him in an area not protected by his vest.
Corporal Roberts' sergeant pulled up as the man began to flee. The man then pulled an AR-15 rifle from his shopping basket, pointed it at the sergeant, and then fled on foot. The sergeant then provided aid to Corporal Roberts, who was transported to Tampa General Hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds.
The suspect, a former US Virgin Islands police officer, surrendered a short time later after being located by a canine unit. He was armed with three handguns and the rifle when he was taken into custody.
Corporal Roberts had served with the Tampa Police Department for 11 years. He is survived by his wife and 3-year-old son.
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Polk County Sheriff's Office
Florida
End of Watch: Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Cause: Assault
Biographical Info
Age: 48
Tour of Duty: 20 years
Badge Number: 2896
Sergeant Ronnie Brown passed away as a result of complications from injuries inflicted by an inmate one week earlier.
The inmate, who was in custody on a murder charge, had refused to leave his cell in the South County Jail and broke the head off of a sprinkler. As Sergeant Brown and another deputy attempted to extract him from the cell, the inmate shoved him against a wall and then onto the floor. Other deputies pulled Sergeant Brown from the cell and then closed the door.
The next morning Sergeant Brown was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital to be treated for a back injury. The following afternoon he was taken to a second hospital where it was discovered that his back had been fractured. He underwent surgery the following day.
On September 8th Sergeant Brown's wife discovered him deceased in his hospital room when she arrived for a visit.
Sergeant Brown had served with the Polk County Sheriff's Office for 20 years. He is survived by his wife and daughter. His wife also serves as a detention deputy with the agency.
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