Oakland Police Department, California
End of Watch: Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Age: 70
Tour of Duty: 5 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: November 23, 1976
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to 1-15 years
Police Officer Paul Carlisle succumbed to complications of gunshot wounds sustained on November 23rd, 1976.
He had conducted a traffic stop of a stolen vehicle at the intersection of 16th Street and Broadway at 2:30 a.m. As Officer Carlisle ordered the man from the car, the subject drew a small handgun from his waistband and opened fire, striking him. One of the rounds struck Officer Carlisle's spinal cord, paralyzing him from the chest down.
The shooter was a parolee from a 1970 murder conviction. He was sentenced to two consecutive terms of 1-15 years in prison for assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon and possessing a gun as a felon. He was released on parole in 1983, and six weeks later, he was charged with attempted robbery, possession of stolen property, and possession of a firearm from a string of thefts. In 1992, after his release from prison, he was convicted of kidnapping and robbery and sentenced to 30 years. He is up for parole in December 2023.
Officer Carlisle remained bedridden and under constant care until his death on December 1st, 2015.
Officer Carlisle was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Oakland Police Department for 2 1/2 years at the time of the shooting. He is survived by his wife and three children.