Lewiston Police Department, Idaho
End of Watch: Thursday, January 13, 1972
Age: 25
Tour of Duty: 1 year
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Bomb
Date of Incident: January 13, 1972
Weapon Used: Explosives; Bomb
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Patrolman Ross Flavel was killed when a bomb exploded after he responded to the scene of a robbery.
A suspect had called a pharmacy owner at home stating he needed a prescription filled as an emergency. When the store owner arrived, the suspect told him he had a bomb and ordered the pharmacist to give him drugs. The pharmacist's wife called the police, and responding officers took the man into custody. As Patrolman Flavel bent down to examine an object at the scene, the item exploded and killed him. The suspect was convicted of Patrolman Flavel's murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Patrolman Flavel was a United States Army veteran of the Vietnam War and had served with the Lewiston Police Department for one year. He was preceded in death by his wife and survived by his parents, brother, and grandfather.