Reserve Officer Harold L. Wintrow, aged 63, of the Akron Police Department, Ohio, tragically passed away on August 27, 1993, due to complications from gunshot wounds he sustained 28 years earlier while investigating a robbery. On April 10, 1965, Officer Eugene Hooper was searching the vehicle of suspected thieves on East Avenue past Silvercrest Avenue when one of the suspects managed to gain control of his partner's weapon.
The suspect shot and fatally wounded Officer Hooper and injured both Officer Frank Mancini, who was paralyzed from the neck down, and Reserve Officer Harold Wintrow, who was paralyzed from the waist down.
A truck driver who came upon the scene used their police radio to call for help. Both suspects, aged 25, were captured at their apartment four hours later. The shooter was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder and sentenced to two life terms in prison. He was denied parole in 2010 and again in 2014, and he died in prison on October 18, 2017. His accomplice was convicted of second-degree murder and was paroled in 1977.
Reserve Officer Harold Wintrow had served with the Akron Police Department for six years at the time of the shooting. He is survived by his wife and three children. His death is a somber reminder of the dangers law enforcement officers face in the line of duty.
