Phoenix Police Department, Arizona
End of Watch: Friday, March 26, 1999
Age: 28
Tour of Duty: 5 years
Badge Number: 5930
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: March 26, 1999
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Three suspects arrested
Police Officer Marc Atkinson was shot and killed after being ambushed by suspected drug traffickers.
Officer Atkinson was driving a marked patrol car while following the suspects, who turned a corner, stopped their vehicle, and waited for him on North 30th Avenue just north of West Catalina Drive. As he turned the corner, the three suspects opened fire, striking him twice in the head, killing him. A citizen who witnessed the incident engaged the suspects in a gunfight with his own weapon, seriously wounding one. The other two suspects fled but were later arrested.
Officer Atkinson was a United States Marine Corps Operation Desert Storm veteran who served as a law enforcement officer for five years. He is survived by his wife and six-month-old child.