Westfield Police Department, Indiana
End of Watch: Saturday, January 11, 1969
Age: 30
Tour of Duty: 3 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: January 11, 1969
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Died in prison
Deputy Marshal David Brown was shot and killed while checking on a suspicious vehicle containing two subjects behind Westfield High School.
During the stop Deputy Brown had one of the men sit in his front passenger seat while he was parked on Hoover Road. As Deputy Brown spoke to him the man attacked him inside the car and disarmed him. The man then fatally shot him before both suspects fled the scene.
When the dispatcher was unable to contact Deputy Marshal Brown with the reply, a second officer was sent to check on him. Upon the second officer's arrival, Deputy Marshal Brown was found shot to death in his patrol car. During the stop, Deputy Brown had written down the vehicle's license plate number.
The vehicle was located at a home in Indianapolis approximately two hours later by a police officer who had stopped it earlier in the night. Both suspects were arrested at the home. It was determined that Deputy Brown had interrupted the men stealing a pig from a field behind the high school.
The man who shot Deputy Brown was sentenced to life in prison, where he later died.
Deputy Marshal Brown had served with the Westfield Police Department for three years. He was survived by his son, daughter, brother, three sisters and parents.