Calipatria Police Department, California
End of Watch Thursday, August 3, 1972
Add to My HeroesRobert Lee Mikesell
Sergeant Mikesell was shot and killed while approaching a vehicle he had stopped while investigating a series of shots fired calls throughout the evening. The occupant of the vehicle opened fire on him with a rifle, killing him instantly.
The suspect was convicted of Sergeant Mikesell's murder and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
Sergeant Mikesell had served with the agency for 5 years. He was survived by his wife and three children.
Bio
- Age 45
- Tour 5 years
- Badge 10
Incident Details
- Cause Gunfire
- Weapon Rifle; .30-.06
- Offender Sentenced to life
Most Recent Reflection
View all 29 ReflectionsIt’s 3:00 am and I’m awake again after having yet again another nightmare of that most horrific night... I decided to look on the internet for the first time to see if I could find information about the family whose home was being shot up through gunfire and the heroic Police Officer who came to our defense.
I remember that night as clear as if it was yesterday...
I was Awakened by gunfire and my parents screaming get on the floor and stay down. You see bullets were coming through the windows of our home I had just turned 9 years old in July, I remember getting underneath my bed with my brother and sister absolutely terrified and trembling with fear in the dark. I remember feeling as if that night would never end, time seemed to have slowed down and it felt like daylight would never come but when it did I can still remember a man coming to our home saying that Officer Mikesell had been shot and killed, killed defending us from the two gunmen who had no moral convictions their one true purpose that night was to kill somebody anybody, those men had murder on their minds and unfortunately one police officer was not enough to end their tirade he had no back up ZERO! That’s all I can talk about for now although I most certainly would like to extend my deepest condolences to his family and say, your dads death impacted my life in such a way I dedicated my life to that of service helping children and families in crisis.
Your dad will always be my HERO ✨
Jacqueline Jones
Victim of shooting
May 6, 2021
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