King County Sheriff's Office, Washington
End of Watch: Thursday, June 24, 1982
Age: 38
Tour of Duty: 18 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: June 24, 1982
Weapon Used: Rifle; .308 caliber
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Sergeant Samuel Hicks was shot and killed by a murder suspect in a rural area of King County east of Seattle. Sergeant Hicks and another investigator had gone to the location to verify the accuracy of a tip given to them in a murder investigation. While at the scene they encountered the suspect as they were driving down a long, wooded driveway.
The suspect opened fire on their patrol car with high powered rifle. As the officers returned fire and attempted to locate cover Sergeant Hicks was struck in the chest and killed.
The suspect, 29, was taken into custody following the incident. He and his cousin were wanted in Seattle for robbing and murdering a man a week earlier. He was convicted of murdering Sergeant Hicks and sentenced to life without parole. As of July 20, 2022, he was in prison.
Sergeant Hicks had served with the agency for 18 years. He was survived by his wife and six children.