Fort Smith Police Department, Arkansas
End of Watch Friday, March 23, 2007
Add to My HeroesDaniel C. Martinez
Officer Daniel Martinez was shot and killed while helping a mother retrieve her child from a residence.
Officer Martinez had responded to a call to help a mother get her child from a residence where she had a run in with her ex-boyfriend earlier in the day. The ex-boyfriend had been arrested and she had returned to pick up her child. She met the officer in the parking lot and they went to the front door and the brother of the man arrested earlier answered and told them to wait a minute, then shut the door. He returned with a 9 mm handgun and shot the police officer in the head, then shot the mother in the back, shoulder, and elbow as she fled. Officer Martinez was taken to Sparks Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The shooter fled from the home in a car and killed himself before Oklahoma Highway Patrol officers found him near Spiro, Oklahoma.
Officer Martinez had served for several years with the Poteau Police Department, Panama Police Department, Shady Point Police Department, and Wister Police Department, all of which are in Oklahoma. He joined the Fort Smith Police Department on July 3, 2006. He is survived by his wife and five children.
Bio
- Age 33
- Tour 12 years
- Badge 23
Incident Details
- Cause Gunfire
- Weapon Handgun; 9 mm
- Offender Committed suicide
Most Recent Reflection
View all 553 Reflections16 years and still the memory of that night haunts me. This day is always so difficult. You are not forgotten!
Gina Smith
Former FSPD dispatcher.
March 23, 2023
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