Norfolk Police Department, Virginia
End of Watch: Thursday, January 16, 2003
Age: 39
Tour of Duty: 14 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: January 16, 2003
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Shot and killed
Police Officer Sheila Herring was shot and killed after responding to a shooting call at a bar at 1010 East Brambleton Avenue at 2:00 am.
When the officers arrived, they encountered several people outside the bar. One of the men produced a handgun and opened fire on the officers, striking Officer Herring three times. She was wearing a bullet resistant vest but was struck in the abdomen, below where the vest offered protection. The other officers returned fire, fatally wounding the suspect. Officer Herring was transported to Norfolk General Hospital where she succumbed to her wounds 50 minutes later.
Officer Herring was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had served with the Norfolk Police Department for 11 months. She had previously served three years with the Norfolk International Airport Police Department and 10 years with the Detroit, Michigan, Police Department.