On the morning of January 2, 1996, Philadelphia Police Officer Lauretha Arnetha Vaird, a 43-year-old female, responded to a silent alarm at a PNC Bank branch in the Feltonville neighborhood. A nine-year veteran of the force and a single mother of two sons, she was the first to arrive at the scene of what was an active and violent bank robbery. As she entered the bank, she was shot in the abdomen.
Despite wearing a bulletproof vest, the protective panels were not inside, and the single gunshot wound proved to be fatal. Officer Vaird was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead, marking the first time a female police officer was killed in the line of duty in Philadelphia.
The attempted robbery was orchestrated by three men: Christopher Roney, also known as the rapper 'Cool C,' Warren McGlone, known as 'Steady B,' and Mark Canty. During the heist, Roney stood guard at the bank's entrance while the other two attempted to access the vault. It was Roney who fired the shot that killed Officer Vaird as she came through the door. Following the shooting, the men fled the scene without taking any money. Another officer who arrived shortly after exchanged gunfire with Roney before he managed to escape in a stolen minivan driven by McGlone.
The investigation that followed quickly led to the identification of the three men. Evidence left at the scene, including the weapons and disguises, along with the abandoned getaway vehicle, pointed detectives toward the suspects. Warren McGlone was arrested two days after the murder, and his confession implicated both Roney and Canty. Roney surrendered to police a few days later, and Canty was apprehended during a traffic stop in Maryland.
The legal proceedings brought a measure of justice for the killing of Officer Vaird. Both Warren McGlone and Mark Canty were convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Christopher Roney, identified as the triggerman, was found guilty of first-degree murder, robbery, and a host of other charges. On November 1, 1996, he was sentenced to death. Over the years, Roney has received stays of execution, and he remains on death row.
