stein810
08-11-2002, 21:51
Officer dies from gunshots
'He loved his job,' a Detroit colleague says
August 12, 2002
BY SUZETTE HACKNEY AND ALEXA CAPELOTO
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
A state prison parolee shot Detroit Police Officer Scott Stewart in the head Sunday, moments after Stewart had handcuffed another man after breaking up a late-night gambling party on Detroit's near east side, police said.
Stewart, 31, was supposed to have been on vacation, having arranged to leave halfway through his Saturday night shift to begin a three-week trip with other officers.
But he loved his job and decided to stay on. Around 3 a.m. Sunday, when his shift would have ended, Stewart paid dearly for his choice.
Tony Townsend, 27, shot Stewart in the head as he handcuffed a suspect he saw with a gun, said Cmdr. Fred Campbell. Stewart was taken to St. John Hospital in Detroit and put on life support, but died, surrounded by family members and his fiancee. "It's a sad day for everyone," Campbell said.
Townsend was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 1993, and served seven years in prison. He was released in October 2000.
Townsend was identified as the gunman, Campbell said, by witnesses and anonymous callers to police.
Investigators, weary from a long night and day of interviews and neighborhood canvassing, continued the search for Townsend late Sunday.
The shooting rocked the 9th (Gratiot) Precinct, where colleagues described Stewart as a dedicated cop who put his job above all else. It also rattled police leaders coming to grips with yet another ambush of one of their own.
"It sounds so cliche, but he loved his job and he loved his coworkers," said Officer Daniel Hughes, who was a colleague and friend of Stewart at the 9th Precinct. "He was one of the best officers in the precinct."
Police Chief Jerry Oliver cut short a fishing trip and immediately flew from Virginia to Detroit after learning of the shooting. He said the tragedy represents much more than a single shot on a city street.
"It's just so sad for the families of these young officers who really are trying to do their best under tough circumstances here in the city," Oliver said.
He called Detroit a "violent city" where cops regularly confront shootings, stabbings and other acts of destruction and the ever-present knowledge that they aren't immune.
The violence isn't confined to Detroit. Two weeks ago, Hazel Park Police Officer Jessica Wilson was fatally shot during a domestic disturbance call. Wilson was newly married to Detroit cop Matt Wilson.
Like Wilson, Stewart had found love with an 11th (Davison) Precinct officer. Stewart and his fiancee, whose name is being withheld, had planned to marry in September 2003.
Stewart and two other officers were on patrol in the neighborhood when they came upon 50 to 75 people in the street, some gambling and the one Stewart would handcuff with a gun. The hosts of the party in the 11200 block of Corbett near Conner had put Mylar balloons and plastic chairs on the front lawn and welcomed friends and neighbors.
Police said Stewart and his two partners had arrested a man for narcotics possession and carrying a concealed weapon in the area earlier that night.
As soon as they returned, chaos erupted. The revelers scattered and Stewart pursued one man onto the lawn. When his partners returned from chasing others, they found Stewart on the ground with a gunshot wound to the head. The man he was chasing lay handcuffed at his side.
Police took the handcuffed man into custody and questioned several other people.
It appears Stewart was shot at close range, said Detroit Public Information Officer Glen Woods.
Neighbors on the trash-strewn street said they didn't learn of the shooting until the next morning. Several said they hear gunshots so often that they rarely wake up from the sound.
Stewart, a member of the force for five years, had been promoted to the elite booster unit, a group of plainclothes officers who only take special, often dangerous, assignments. The 9th Precinct includes some of Detroit's deadliest neighborhoods.
Oliver said he would support any effort to bring the death penalty to Michigan for people convicted of killing police officers. He called such actions unforgivable and tragic.
"Any way that I can help, I will," he said.
this gets to me ...... another detroit officer slain this year. he was engaged to a a officer on my shift. prayers go out to him and his family.
'He loved his job,' a Detroit colleague says
August 12, 2002
BY SUZETTE HACKNEY AND ALEXA CAPELOTO
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
A state prison parolee shot Detroit Police Officer Scott Stewart in the head Sunday, moments after Stewart had handcuffed another man after breaking up a late-night gambling party on Detroit's near east side, police said.
Stewart, 31, was supposed to have been on vacation, having arranged to leave halfway through his Saturday night shift to begin a three-week trip with other officers.
But he loved his job and decided to stay on. Around 3 a.m. Sunday, when his shift would have ended, Stewart paid dearly for his choice.
Tony Townsend, 27, shot Stewart in the head as he handcuffed a suspect he saw with a gun, said Cmdr. Fred Campbell. Stewart was taken to St. John Hospital in Detroit and put on life support, but died, surrounded by family members and his fiancee. "It's a sad day for everyone," Campbell said.
Townsend was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 1993, and served seven years in prison. He was released in October 2000.
Townsend was identified as the gunman, Campbell said, by witnesses and anonymous callers to police.
Investigators, weary from a long night and day of interviews and neighborhood canvassing, continued the search for Townsend late Sunday.
The shooting rocked the 9th (Gratiot) Precinct, where colleagues described Stewart as a dedicated cop who put his job above all else. It also rattled police leaders coming to grips with yet another ambush of one of their own.
"It sounds so cliche, but he loved his job and he loved his coworkers," said Officer Daniel Hughes, who was a colleague and friend of Stewart at the 9th Precinct. "He was one of the best officers in the precinct."
Police Chief Jerry Oliver cut short a fishing trip and immediately flew from Virginia to Detroit after learning of the shooting. He said the tragedy represents much more than a single shot on a city street.
"It's just so sad for the families of these young officers who really are trying to do their best under tough circumstances here in the city," Oliver said.
He called Detroit a "violent city" where cops regularly confront shootings, stabbings and other acts of destruction and the ever-present knowledge that they aren't immune.
The violence isn't confined to Detroit. Two weeks ago, Hazel Park Police Officer Jessica Wilson was fatally shot during a domestic disturbance call. Wilson was newly married to Detroit cop Matt Wilson.
Like Wilson, Stewart had found love with an 11th (Davison) Precinct officer. Stewart and his fiancee, whose name is being withheld, had planned to marry in September 2003.
Stewart and two other officers were on patrol in the neighborhood when they came upon 50 to 75 people in the street, some gambling and the one Stewart would handcuff with a gun. The hosts of the party in the 11200 block of Corbett near Conner had put Mylar balloons and plastic chairs on the front lawn and welcomed friends and neighbors.
Police said Stewart and his two partners had arrested a man for narcotics possession and carrying a concealed weapon in the area earlier that night.
As soon as they returned, chaos erupted. The revelers scattered and Stewart pursued one man onto the lawn. When his partners returned from chasing others, they found Stewart on the ground with a gunshot wound to the head. The man he was chasing lay handcuffed at his side.
Police took the handcuffed man into custody and questioned several other people.
It appears Stewart was shot at close range, said Detroit Public Information Officer Glen Woods.
Neighbors on the trash-strewn street said they didn't learn of the shooting until the next morning. Several said they hear gunshots so often that they rarely wake up from the sound.
Stewart, a member of the force for five years, had been promoted to the elite booster unit, a group of plainclothes officers who only take special, often dangerous, assignments. The 9th Precinct includes some of Detroit's deadliest neighborhoods.
Oliver said he would support any effort to bring the death penalty to Michigan for people convicted of killing police officers. He called such actions unforgivable and tragic.
"Any way that I can help, I will," he said.
this gets to me ...... another detroit officer slain this year. he was engaged to a a officer on my shift. prayers go out to him and his family.