Detective Russell C. Pettie

Russell C. Pettie

Detective Russell Pettie was shot and killed while serving an arrest warrant to a suspect who was known to be armed and dangerous.

The suspect was sought to appear at a sanity hearing, where his mother intended to commit him. As officers searched the house at 1808 North Taylor Street, shots were fired from an attic window. Detective Pettie was struck in the head and died instantly.

The suspect had barricaded himself inside the home with an arsenal of weapons and held officers at bay for three hours before being killed.

Detective Pettie was a U.S. Army Air Force veteran and had served with the Arlington County Police Department for seven years. He was survived by his wife.