Police Officer Michael McAllister

Michael McAllister

Police Officer Michael McAllister was shot and killed while searching a suspect after responding to a report of gunshots at 2:45 am.

When he arrived on the scene he located the suspect on North Shore Drive, just north of the city limits, and began to pat him down. With his back to Officer McAllister during the search, the suspect suddenly fired a gun through his own coat, striking Officer McAllister in the stomach three times. The subject was apprehended a short distance away.

At the time of the shooting, the subject was a radical and was wanted for the October 9th, 1971, hijacking of Eastern Airlines Flight 953 and its 44 passengers on a flight from Detroit to Miami. He forced the pilots to fly to Havana, Cuba. It was discovered that he had stayed in Cuba for four years before secretly returning to the United States. He was sentenced to life in prison for Officer McAllister's murder on September 10th, 1976.

Officer McAllister had served with the South Haven Police Department for 15 years. He was survived by his five children.