On January 16, 1983, Officer John R. Pasco, a 27-year-old male of Caucasian ethnicity, was shot and killed during a foot pursuit in Dallas, Texas. Officer Pasco, who served with the Dallas Police Department, was pursuing a suspect who had been shooting a handgun into the air. During the chase, the suspect turned and shot Officer Pasco in the head. Officer Pasco had previously arrested the same man ten months earlier for possessing a gun. The suspect was later convicted and sentenced to death, and was executed on March 25, 1993.
The incident occurred in the 1800 block of Park Avenue, where Officer Pasco had requested backup as he began the foot chase. The suspect, identified as Ramon Montoya, was apprehended shortly after the shooting. Montoya was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. The case, Montoya v. State, was heard by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 1987, where Montoya's conviction was upheld.
Officer Pasco was a U.S. Air Force veteran and had served with the Dallas Police Department for one and a half years. He was survived by his parents. The tragic death of Officer Pasco is remembered and honored by the Dallas Police Department and the community.
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