DeKalb County Police Department, Georgia
End of Watch: Thursday, June 29, 2006
Age: 33
Tour of Duty: 12 years
Badge Number: 1700
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: June 29, 2006
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Shot and killed
Detective Dennis Stepnowski was shot during a foot chase of a suspect at a Stone Mountain apartment complex on North Hairston Road at approximately 7:00 pm. The suspect opened fire on Detective Stepnowski during the chase, wounding him.
Despite being fatally wounded, Detective Stepnowski returned fire and killed the suspect.
Detective Stepnowski was taken to DeKalb Medical Center in Decatur where he died from his wounds.
The investigation revealed that the suspect was wanted for a previous murder in Louisiana.
Detective Stepnowski had served with the Dekalb County Police Department for 12 years and was a member of the SWAT unit. He is survived by his wife, parents, and sister.