Officer Eugene "Red" Hooper

Eugene "Red" Hooper

Officer Red Hooper was shot and killed while searching a vehicle on East Avenue past Silvercrest Avenue in Akron in connection with the armed robbery of a service station.

One of the suspects was able to grab Officer Hooper's partner's service weapon and opened fire. Officer Hooper was fatally wounded. His partner and a reserve officer were also shot and critically wounded. His partner was paralyzed from the waist down. A truck driver who came upon the scene used their police radio to call for help. Both suspects, ages 25, were captured at their apartment four hours later.

The shooter, who was a parolee, was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder and sentenced to two life terms in prison. He was denied parole in 2010 and again in 2014. He died in prison on October 18, 2017. His accomplice, also on parole, was convicted of second-degree murder. He was paroled in 1977.

Officer Hooper was a United States Marine Corps WWII veteran and had served with the Akron Police Department for 14 years. He was survived by his wife and two children.