Albuquerque Police Department, New Mexico
End of Watch: Thursday, October 29, 2015
Age: 47
Tour of Duty: 8 years
Badge Number: 749
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: October 21, 2015
Weapon Used: Handgun; .40 caliber
Suspect Info: Life without parole
Police Officer Dan Webster succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained on October 21st, 2015, while making a traffic stop.
He had stopped a motorcycle that was displaying a stolen license plate near the intersection of Central Avenue and Eubank Boulevard at approximately 8:00 pm. Officer Webster had placed one handcuff on the subject's left wrist when the man pretended to be injured by complaining that his right shoulder was hurt. The subject then reached for a concealed handgun and opened fire on him at close range. Officer Webster was struck in the face, chest, and arm.
The man, a felon with a prior manslaughter conviction, was arrested a short time later by responding officers who had contained him within a perimeter. In 2017, he was convicted of federal firearms charges and sentenced to forty years in prison. In 2019, the suspect was found guilty of murder in the first degree and sentenced to life without parole.
Officer Webster was transported to a local hospital, where he remained on life support until succumbing to his wounds one week later.
Officer Webster was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Albuquerque Police Department for eight years. He is survived by his wife, three daughters, and several grandchildren.