King County Sheriff's Office, Washington
End of Watch: Saturday, June 22, 2002
Age: 46
Tour of Duty: 7 years
Badge Number: 1297777
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: June 22, 2002
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to Life without Parole
Deputy Sheriff Richard Herzog was shot and killed with his own service weapon after responding to a call at about 5:00 p.m. involving a naked man creating a disturbance in the roadway on Coal Creek Parkway.
When Deputy Herzog, who was wearing a vest, arrived on the scene, he attempted to subdue the man with pepper spray. The spray did not affect the man, who then attacked Deputy Herzog. Deputy Herzog's service weapon, a .40 caliber Glock, was knocked to the ground, and the magazine came out of it.
The suspect picked up the weapon and replaced the magazine. As Deputy Herzog attempted to retreat, the suspect shot him once, knocking him to the ground. The suspect then stood over him and shot him ten more times before fleeing to a nearby apartment. The man was apprehended approximately 45 minutes later. The suspect had been released from jail only 11 days earlier after serving several months for assaulting a police officer.
The suspect was convicted of aggravated first-degree murder on August 19th, 2004. On September 23rd, 2004, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Deputy Herzog was a United States Army veteran and had served with the King County Sheriff's Office for seven years. He was survived by his wife and two teenage daughters.