Tampa Police Department, Florida
End of Watch: Tuesday, May 19, 1998
Age: 46
Tour of Duty: 18 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: May 19, 1998
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Committed suicide
Detective Ricky Childers and Detective Randy Bell were shot and killed transporting a suspect to the police station for questioning.
The suspect had earlier shot his girlfriend's 3-year-old child in the face with a rifle and took the child to a fire station. As Detective Bell and Detective Childers were transporting the suspect, he was able to free one of his hands from the handcuffs using a hidden key as the car approached I-275 on Floribraska Avenue.
He then reached into the front seat and gained control of one of the detectives' weapons. He shot and killed the driver as he sat in the front seat and the passenger as he was climbing over the back seat in an attempt to get the gun from the suspect. The suspect then obtained his rifle from the trunk of the car and car-jacked another vehicle. He led police on a chase where he shot and killed Florida State Trooper James B. Crooks.
The suspect committed suicide after a standoff at a local gas station.
Detective Childers had served with the Tampa Police Department for 18 years. He is survived by his two children.