In the early morning hours of July 16, 1980, a call regarding a man with a gun at a restaurant on North Broad Street set in motion a tragic chain of events. Philadelphia Police Officer Ernest Wilson Davis, Jr., a 33-year-old White male and a U.S. Air Force veteran who had served four years with the department, responded to the call.
Upon arrival, Officer Davis located a van parked near the restaurant that matched the description of the vehicle associated with the armed individual.
As he approached the van to investigate, an occupant from within opened fire, mortally wounding him. Despite his grave injuries, Officer Davis was able to return fire as the van fled the scene, though he did not hit his assailant.
A detective who was in the vicinity and heard the gunshots quickly responded and discovered the suspect's van stopped nearby. The subjects inside the vehicle were promptly arrested. The man responsible for shooting Officer Davis was later convicted of murder and sentenced to death for his crime. He remained on death row until he died of natural causes on July 24, 2010, while still awaiting his execution. Officer Davis was survived by his wife and their 5-year-old son.
