Milwaukee Police Department, Wisconsin
End of Watch: Thursday, December 13, 1973
Age: 27
Tour of Duty: 5 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: December 13, 1973
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Police Officer Ronald Reagan was shot and killed while attempting to stop a robbery at a local bar while off-duty.
He was inside the bar when three men entered and announced a holdup. Officer Reagan drew his off-duty weapon and identified himself, at which point the third suspect, whom Officer Reagan had not seen, shot him. As he lay on the ground, all three suspects shot him several more times.
One suspect, 18, surrendered to police five days later. Two days later, the other two, 19 and 20, were apprehended in Chicago.
All three suspects were convicted of Officer Reagan's murder and armed robbery and sentenced to life plus 15 years in prison. One was convicted of injuring a guard in 2004 and got an additional sentence. As of May 2008, he was in prison. As of October 16, 2022, another was still in prison. He has a parole hearing on May 15, 2023.
Officer Reagan had been with the Milwaukee Police Department for five years. He was survived by his wife and two children.