Police Officer John Milledge

John Milledge

Police Officer John Milledge was shot and killed as he stood near the entrance to Dorsey Park in Overtown.

Officer Milledge had chased several youths away from the park when he caught them trying to climb over the fence to watch a high school football game. The juveniles went to one of the boys' homes, retrieved a .22 caliber rifle, and returned to the scene. They saw Officer Milledge standing by the entrance and one of the boys shot him in the throat, killing him. The boy fled to New York City and remained at large for 43 years. He was arrested in 1989 and served 19 months in pre-trial confinement before being freed. He died on December 24th, 2008.

Officer Milledge had served with the Miami Police Department for four years and was one of the agency's first full-time African American officers. He was survived by his wife and is buried in Capernaum Cemetery, Denmark, Bamberg County, South Carolina.