Higginson Police Department, Arkansas
End of Watch: Friday, March 14, 1997
Age: 39
Tour of Duty: 2 years
Badge Number: 1503
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: March 14, 1997
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Patrol Officer Daniel Longstreet was found shot to death in his patrol in the early morning hours of March 14th, 1997.
Officer Longstreet was sitting in his vehicle in a vacant lot when the suspect shot him through the passenger side window. Residents who heard the shots went to the patrol car to notify him that they had heard gunshots but discovered that he had been shot.
A 17-year-old boy was arrested and charged with capital murder in Officer Longstreet's death. He murdered Officer Longstreet in order to silence his testimony in an insurance fraud case. The suspect's 18-year-old sister and her 17-year-old husband were charged with hindering the apprehension or prosecution of a felony suspect. On September 8th, 1997, the suspect unexpectedly pleaded guilty during a preliminary arraignment and was immediately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Officer Longstreet was a United States Army Persian Gulf veteran who was one of the 300-person town's two full-time officers and had served with the Higginson Police Department for two years. He is survived by his wife and three daughters.