In the line of duty, Officer Gary R. Stroud, a 26-year-old male, made the ultimate sacrifice on October 24, 1977, in Saint Charles, Missouri. Having served with the St. Charles Police Department for 18 months, he was responding to a report of a man seen carrying a shotgun.
Witnesses directed Officer Stroud to the location where the man had been seen.
As he turned a corner in his patrol car, the suspect unexpectedly ran towards the vehicle and discharged his shotgun through the windshield, striking Officer Stroud in the chest. The promising young officer, who had previously served in the U.S. Army, was fatally wounded.
The perpetrator fled the scene but was apprehended shortly after when he crashed his vehicle into a utility pole. He was subsequently convicted of capital murder and received a life sentence for his crime. The suspect remained incarcerated until his death in prison in 2016. Officer Stroud was survived by his wife, a son, and two daughters.
