Two officers killed in the line of duty. They both leave behind small children and wives.

Two officers killed in the line of duty. They both leave behind small children and wives.

Two officers killed in the line of duty. They both leave behind small children and wives.

Posted by: | |Categories Around The World, Fallen, Featured, Investigations, Law and Legal, Must Reads, Patrol
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It’s exactly the kind of heartbreaking story we didn’t want to be bringing you on New Year’s Day.

We lost two more officers as 2019 came to a close.

Panola County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chris Dickerson was murdered while on duty early Tuesday morning, having been shot while enacting a traffic stop.

We also lost Hendersonville Police Department Master Patrol Officer Spencer Bristol.  He died in the of duty, after he was struck accidentally by a motorist while engaged in a foot pursuit of a suspect.

Today… we pay tribute to both of them.

In Gary, Texas, Deputy Chris Dickerson of the Panola County Sheriff’s Office was killed during a traffic stop on Tuesday morning. At 1:57 a.m., Dickerson pulled a vehicle over on Farm-to-Market Road 10, according to the Panola Watchmen.

Police said the driver that Dickerson pulled over, identified as 45-year-old Gregory DeWayne Newson, jumped out of the car and immediately started firing at the deputy.

The deputy never could have seen that coming with as quick as it allegedly happened.

Deputy Dickerson was shot six times by a semi-automatic rifle toted by Newson. Despite being struck six times, the deputy managed to return some fire, but Newson had escaped.

Locals who heard the exchange raced to help the injured deputy, with one individual using the deputy’s radio to call for help. Deputy Dickerson was immediately transported over to UT Heath Carthage, where he succumbed to his wounds approximately an hour later.

Luckily, police in a neighboring county apprehended the suspect involved in the death of Deputy Dickerson. After an hour-long chase that involved police within Shreveport, Newson eventually crashed on Highway 3132 near the West 70th Street.

After police pursued the suspect on foot, a K-9 managed to assist with finding and leading to the arrest of the suspect. Police in Shreveport charged Newson for being a fugitive and flight in vehicle and he’ll be later extradited over to Panola County on a warrant for capital murder of a police officer. If convicted, Newson could be looking at the death penalty.

Panola County Sheriff's Office Deputy Chris Dickerson
Panola County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chris Dickerson

Deputy Dickerson, an eight-year veteran-of-the-force, leaves behind a wife and two small children.

The sheriff stated that the deputy was as dedicated as they come, while also asking to keep him in everyone’s prayers:

“We ask the community to keep all of our deputies and the family of our fallen officer in your thoughts and prayers.”

On Monday of this week in Davidson County, Tennessee, Hendersonville Police Department Master Patrol Officer Spencer Bristol was struck by a vehicle while chasing a fleeing suspect on foot. While it seems that the officer wasn’t killed with intent in this matter, this loss shows the level of risk associated with any form of law enforcement enacted in the field.

Hendersonville PD Officer Spencer Bristol
Hendersonville PD Officer Spencer Bristol

The events that led up to the death of Officer Bristol began at 7:45 p.m. that Monday night.

Officer Bristol had noticed 19-year-old Kevin Jordan, who was apparently wanted on a myriad of warrants at the time. When the officer made attempts to pull over the vehicle that Jordan was in, Jordan refused and led a vehicle pursuit that spanned from Goodlettsville and onto Interstate 64.

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Two officers killed in the line of duty. They both leave behind small children and wives.

 

The vehicle pursuit that ensued eventually ended in a crash by the suspect’s car into another vehicle at mile marker 95 near Vietnam Vets Parkway; which then the suspect Jordan and another male passenger both took off running.

Jordan was quickly taken into custody, but the passenger ran across the interstate. As Officer Bristol pursued the vehicles passenger on foot across the interstate, he was struck by a motorist.

According to reports, the driver that struck the officer stopped and immediately attempted to help the officer.

Unfortunately, when Officer Bristol was taken to TriStar Skyline Medical Center, he was pronounced dead.

As of this time, the suspect that he was chasing on foot is at large as well. Jordan was arrested on charges of reckless endangerment, felony evading, and multiple traffic-related offenses.

Before joining the force back in 2015, Officer Bristol was also in the US Navy from 2007 to 2012. Hendersonville Police Chief Mickey Miller stated the following about the fallen officer:

“I never saw anyone who wanted to be a police officer as much as him. He was very proactive and very much wanted to do the right thing for this city and take care of this city.”

This was the first line of duty death for the department in 20 years.

He was taken too soon, leaving behind his wife, Lauren, and their three-year-old daughter, as well as his parents. Let’s keep these heroes’ families in our prayers while we celebrate the new year. And let’s also make a new year’s resolution that we’ll no longer stand for people harming our police officers.

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About The Author

Gregory Hoyt is an I.T. Marketing and Sales professional based out in Sierra Vista, Arizona. While being a staunch and outspoken advocate of law enforcement and first responders, Gregory Hoyt also has the experience of having spent nearly 5 years in prison as well. Since then, he's used his unique perspective to offer support and commentary about the criminal justice system. When not working or combating bad ideas, Hoyt also leisurely studies economics, history, and law.

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