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| Sergeant James Victor Arnaud
Prince George's County Sheriff's Office
Maryland
End of Watch: Thursday, August 29, 2002 Biographical Info
Age: 53
Tour of Duty: 13 years
Badge Number: 113 Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Thursday, August 29, 2002
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to 30 years Sergeant James Arnaud and PFC Elizabeth Magruder were shot and killed while attempting to serve a psychiatric petition on an individual in a home on Lynmont Drive in Adelphi at 2130 hours.
The suspect retreated to a rear bedroom and opened fire with a handgun. Sergeant Arnaud was shot in the throat and PFC Magruder was shot in the back of the head. The suspect fled the scene following the shootings, but was arrested two days later after undercover officers spotted him coming from an apartment building approximately two miles from the scene of the shooting. The handgun used in the murders was recovered from the suspect as well.
The suspect was found guilty of two counts of second degree murder and using a handgun in commission of a felony in November 2003. In September 2005, the convictions were overturned on appeal and the suspect was ordered to face a new trial. He was again convicted during the second trial and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
The murders of Sergeant Arnaud and PFC Magruder were the first line of duty deaths for the department in its 306-year history.
Sergeant Arnaud had been employed with the Prince George's County Sheriff's Department for 13 years, and was posthumously promoted to Sergeant. He was killed two days before his 54th birthday. He is survived by his wife, two children, and two grandchildren. Related Line of Duty Deaths | |
