White/Caucasian male Jimmy Earl Kennedy, age 32, of Juneau, Alaska, was a patrol officer with the Juneau Police Department. On April 17, 1979, he and fellow officer Richard J. Adair responded to reports that a man had been shooting at passing motorists in the downtown highlands neighborhood near Evergreen Avenue. As their patrol car pulled up outside the suspect's residence, the gunman opened fire from a second-story window with a rifle, striking both officers in the head and killing them
instantly. A third officer, Detective Mike Stickler, was wounded in the leg during the fusillade. The city later memorialized the fallen officers by naming Adair-Kennedy Memorial Park in their honor.
The shooter was identified by city authorities as Louis Sorenson. After the chief of police contained the scene and called for assistance from the Alaska State Troopers, officers deployed tear gas into the residence. Before troopers arrived, Sorenson took his own life inside the home. Because the perpetrator died at the scene, no arrests were made in connection with the ambush.
Kennedy had served with the Juneau Police Department for approximately 18 months and was a Vietnam veteran. Services were held for him in Juneau with military rites, and he was later buried in Magee, Mississippi, where his hometown community and colleagues continued to commemorate his sacrifice. He is also remembered on memorial pages dedicated to victims of gun violence and fallen law enforcement officers.
