Officer Down Memorial Page - http://www.odmp.org

Police Officer Milton G. Curtis | El Segundo Police Department, California
El Segundo Police Department, California

Police Officer

Milton G. Curtis

El Segundo Police Department, California

End of Watch: Monday, July 22, 1957

Biographical Info

Age: 25
Tour of Duty: 2 months
Badge Number: 22

Incident Details

Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: July 22, 1957
Weapon Used: Handgun; .22 caliber
Suspect Info: Died in prison

Police Officer Milton Curtis and Police Officer Richard Phillips were shot and killed after stopping a vehicle for running a red light.

Unbeknownst to the officers, the suspect had just raped a teenage girl after holding two couples at gunpoint. Both officers were shot and killed while they were writing a ticket.

On January 29th, 2003, 45 years after the murders, the 70-year-old suspect was arrested at his home in Columbia, South Carolina, as the result of a new FBI fingerprint database. The fingerprints were matched to a 1956 South Carolina burglary and linked to the suspect.

The suspect was convicted of both murders on March 24th, 2003, and sentenced to life in prison. He was denied parole in 2009 and died in prison in January 2017.

Officer Curtis had served with the El Segundo Police Department for two months. He is survived by his wife, son, and daughter.