Compton Unified School District Police Department, California
End of Watch: Monday, March 16, 1987
Age: 51
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: 152
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: March 9, 1987
Weapon Used: Rifle
Suspect Info: Arrested
Police Officer Roosevelt Ferrell was shot in the leg by a sniper while on foot patrol at a local school. Officers began searching for him after he failed to respond to radio requests and found him a short time later. He was transported to a local hospital where he died a week later from cardiac arrest brought on by complications of his surgery.
A 16-year-old boy was arrested and charged with shooting Officer Ferrell. Officer Ferrell had ordered him and two other youths off the school campus 40 minutes earlier after he caught them trespassing.
Officer Ferrell was survived by his wife and children.