Patrolman John H. Combs

Posted on NAMPA, Idaho (CBS2) Sept. 22, 2019

Parma Police officer John Combs was killed in the line of duty 50 years ago.

September 22nd, 1969, Parma police say patrolman Combs stopped to investigate three men in a vehicle parked on the side of the highway, two mile east of Parma.

The men were wanted for an earlier armed robbery. When Combs approached the vehicle, he was shot and killed.

At 25 years old and only two years in the agency, patrolman Combs left behind a wife and two children.

Though 50 years have passed, his older brother Eddie Combs still gets choked up about it.

“You gotta live with it. Someday we’ll be together. I know that," Combs said.

But he remains proud of his brother and the legacy he leaves behind. Memorials, with his named engraved, remind Combs of the hard worker his brother was.

Before the shooting. Combs says he was asked a life changing question.

“John had asked us previous if we would raise the boy. His boy johnny and so I said absolutely. In a heartbeat,” Combs said.

Eddie says his son became one of their own. Though at times, it wasn't easy.

“He had awful dreams and nightmares so he cried through the night. So my wife, she was always there to sooth him and help him but he was four years old. It was really a hassle for the first few years,” Combs said.

But his presence will never be forgotten. Canyon County Sheriff's Office, Parma Police Station, Idaho Peace Officers Memorial and the Old Fort Boise Memorial in Parma, all pay tribute to fallen officer Combs.

“It makes me feel so proud I can’t hardly stand it. It’s an honor for all police officers,” Combs said.

Embracing the memory and honor of Combs fallen brother.

“You have to believe that we will be together someday. I do believe that but what’s done is done. You can’t do anything about it. It’s called history,” Combs said.

Retired Police Officer
NYPD

September 8, 2019