Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Florida
End of Watch: Saturday, February 28, 1970
Age: 29
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: 247
Cause of Death: Motorcycle crash
Date of Incident: February 28, 1970
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Found not guilty.
Officer David Reese was killed in a motorcycle accident in downtown when he collided with a truck at the intersection of Bay Street and Liberty Street.
Officer Reese and his partner had been assigned to retrieve court documents and after placing them in the back of his motorcycle he began to make his way back to the JSO Building. When Officer Reese pulled away he realized that his partner's motorcycle had failed to start and paused for a moment before entering an intersection. As he entered the intersection a semi-trailer ran the red light and struck Officer Reese, dragging him over 175 feet. Officer Reese incurred massive head trauma.
The driver of the truck received only a ticket, however, the family sued the trucking company and received a monetary award.
Officer Reese had served with the agency for six years and had previously served with the United States Army Military Police. He was survived by his wife and son.