Birmingham Police Department, Alabama
End of Watch: Sunday, October 31, 1982
Age: 51
Tour of Duty: 20 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire (Inadvertent)
Date of Incident: October 31, 1982
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Not available
Police Officer Robert Patterson was shot and killed by another officer who mistook him for an offender.
Officer Patterson was working plainclothes, secondary employment job at a nightclub on Morris Avenue. He had broken up a fight between two women and disarmed one of them who had pulled out a knife. As Officer Patterson walked the woman out of the nightclub he encountered an on-duty officer who was unaware of what had just occurred and mistook Officer Patterson as an offender who was holding a woman at knifepoint.
The officer grabbed Officer Patterson's arm and shot him. Officer Patterson died in surgery a short time later.