Rock Island Police Department, Illinois
End of Watch: Sunday, October 24, 1993
Age: 46
Tour of Duty: 20 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire (Inadvertent)
Date of Incident: October 23, 1993
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Not available
Auxiliary Captain Rick Shurtz accidentally shot and killed himself while showing another officer how Auxiliary Officer Todd Johnson was shot and killed four days earlier during a training accident.
He was providing security at a community haunted house at 4000 Black Hawk Road when he attempted the demonstration. He removed the magazine from his weapon but forgot to remove the chambered round. After he was struck by the round, he attempted to drive himself to the hospital but was involved in a vehicle crash.
He underwent surgery but died the following day as the result of an injured aorta sustained in the vehicle crash.
Auxiliary Captain Shurtz was a U.S. Navy veteran of the Vietnam War. He had served with the Rock Island Police Department for 20 years.