On a winter day in Abingdon, Maryland, a sudden burst of violence cut short the life of a dedicated public servant. Harford County Sheriff's Deputy First Class Mark Franklin Logsdon, a 43-year-old male, was killed in the line of duty on February 10, 2016, in a tragic confrontation with a wanted man. The events of that day began to unfold around lunchtime at a Panera Bread restaurant, where deputies had been dispatched to locate a man with outstanding warrants.
That man was 68-year-old David Brian Evans.
The first officer to make contact with Evans inside the crowded restaurant was Senior Deputy Patrick Dailey, a 30-year veteran of the force. As Deputy Dailey began to speak with him, Evans, without warning, drew a handgun and fired, striking the deputy in the head. The gunman then fled the scene, leaving chaos and tragedy in his wake. His escape, however, was short-lived as other deputies, including Deputy Logsdon, quickly converged on the area.
A short distance away, in the parking lot of a senior living apartment complex, law enforcement located Evans. As Deputy Logsdon and other officers approached, Evans once again opened fire. In this second exchange of gunfire, Deputy Logsdon was mortally wounded. Despite the fatal injuries he sustained, Deputy Logsdon and his fellow deputies returned fire, and in the shootout, the suspect, David Brian Evans, was shot and killed.
The investigation that followed painted a grim picture of the gunman. David Brian Evans had a history of violence, and his own son described him as a man with emotional problems and a heavy drinking habit. It was revealed that Evans' own estranged wife had been the one to alert police to his presence at the Panera, fearing he intended to harm her. She had left the restaurant just before Deputy Dailey arrived. With the death of David Brian Evans at the scene, the search for a suspect in the murders of the two deputies concluded, bringing a violent end to a tragic day. Deputy Mark Franklin Logsdon, a 16-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office and a U.S. Army veteran, was survived by his wife and three children.
