On the night of May 15, 1981, Robert T. Jordan, a 46-year-old Black male and dedicated veteran of the St. Louis County Police Department, was off-duty and running errands in the City of St. Louis. A former Marine and a respected figure in his community, he had served in law enforcement for nearly two decades, working in various divisions including patrol and criminal investigation.
That evening, he was accompanied by his 11-year-old daughter as they visited a package liquor and confectionery store in the 4400 block of Shreve Avenue.
As Jordan and his daughter exited the establishment around 11:00 p.m., they were confronted by an armed man named Samuel McDonald. McDonald, who was reportedly under the influence of narcotics, demanded Jordan's wallet. Jordan complied with the robber's demands, but as McDonald opened the wallet to check its contents, he discovered Jordan's police badge inside. Upon realizing his victim was a police officer, McDonald fired three shots into Jordan’s chest. Despite suffering mortal wounds, Jordan managed to draw his service weapon and return fire, striking McDonald before collapsing. Jordan was rushed to Barnes Hospital but succumbed to his injuries shortly after midnight on May 16, 1981.
The suspect, Samuel McDonald, fled the scene with the assistance of a girlfriend who was waiting in a getaway car. However, the injuries inflicted by Jordan’s return fire forced McDonald to seek medical attention at a local Veterans Administration hospital, where police subsequently located and arrested him. Investigators found Jordan's wallet in McDonald's possession, further linking him to the crime.
The legal proceedings against McDonald were swift and severe given the capital nature of the offense. He was charged with capital murder for the killing of a police officer. During the trial, witnesses, including Jordan's young daughter who had witnessed the shooting, provided testimony against him. McDonald was found guilty and sentenced to death. After exhausting his appeals over the course of more than a decade, Samuel McDonald was executed by lethal injection on September 24, 1997, at the Potosi Correctional Center.
