St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, Missouri
End of Watch: Sunday, March 9, 2003
Age: 36
Tour of Duty: 4 years, 6 months
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Vehicle pursuit
Date of Incident: February 11, 2003
Weapon Used: Automobile
Suspect Info: Escaped
Police Officer James Branson died of an injury he received when he was involved in a motor vehicle accident while in pursuit of a stolen vehicle.
He and his partner spotted a vehicle that had been taken a few hours earlier in a carjacking. When the officers attempted to stop the vehicle, a pursuit began. During the pursuit, the officer's police cruiser collided with a sport utility vehicle at the intersection of North Market Street and North Jefferson Avenue.
Officer Branson was treated for a broken ankle and had surgery on the ankle on February 14th, 2003, and was sent home to recover. On March 9th, 2003, he suffered a fatal pulmonary embolism caused by a massive blood clot that traveled from his ankle to his heart and lungs.
Officer Branson had served with the St. Louis Police Department for four years. He is survived by his wife and four children.