Riverside Police Department, California
End of Watch: Sunday, March 5, 1944
Age: 35
Tour of Duty: 3 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: March 5, 1944
Weapon Used: Handgun; .45 caliber
Suspect Info: Committed suicide
Police Officer Arthur Simpson was shot and killed by a U.S. Army lieutenant who went on a rampage in the officers' club at Camp Anza, during which eight people were shot, three fatally.
Officer Simpson and his partner saw a vehicle that a report had been broadcast about earlier parked on the side of the road and went to investigate. The suspect confronted Officer Simpson's partner with a .45-caliber automatic handgun. Officer Simpson ordered the suspect to put the gun away. Instead, the suspect fired two shots, hitting Officer Simpson in the stomach. His partner returned fire, hitting the suspect, who was taken into custody and transported to the hospital in serious condition.
Officer Simpson was rushed to the county hospital where he died shortly after his arrival.
The suspect was convicted of four counts of first degree murder and sentenced to death. On July 7th, 1944, he used a bed sheet to hang himself from a ceiling radiator while being treated for gunshot wounds in a hospital.
Officer Simpson had served with the Riverside Police Department for three years.