Baltimore City Police Department, Maryland
End of Watch: Friday, April 24, 1970
Age: 35
Tour of Duty: 12 years
Badge Number: 2355
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: April 24, 1970
Weapon Used: Handgun; .38 caliber
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Police Officer Donald Sager was shot and killed, and his partner was seriously wounded as they sat in their patrol car writing a report in the 1200 block of Myrtle Avenue.
Three men, members of the radical Black Panthers, walked up behind and on each side of the patrol car and opened fire with automatic handguns. Officer Sager was killed instantly, and his partner was hit four times. Two of the suspects were apprehended near the scene an hour later. The third suspect was apprehended two days later.
In 1972, all three suspects were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. One died in prison in November 1980. Another was released from prison in May 2010. The third subject was released from prison on March 4th, 2014.
Officer Sager was a United States Army Korean War veteran and had served with the Baltimore Police Department for 12 years. He was survived by his wife and child.