In what should have been a routine assistance to fellow law enforcement, a day in Maricopa, Arizona, turned fatal for a dedicated public servant. On April 14, 1983, Milton Paul Antone, the 30-year-old male Chief of the Ak-Chin Tribal Police Department, was shot and killed. He had been on the force for eight years, serving as chief for the last eight months.
The incident unfolded around 12:30 p.m. at a farm located eight miles southwest of Maricopa.
Chief Antone was responding to a call to assist the Pinal County Sheriff's Office with an investigation into possible child abuse. Upon his arrival, the situation escalated dramatically when a man, who was not the subject of the initial investigation, brandished a. 38 caliber revolver at another officer. In the ensuing confrontation, Chief Antone exchanged gunfire with the man and was struck by a single, fatal round.
The suspect responsible for Chief Antone's death was shot and killed by another officer at the scene just moments later. The man was believed to be an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. The original suspect in the child abuse case, the reason for the initial law enforcement presence, was not involved in the deadly shooting. Chief Antone was survived by his mother, three sisters, and five brothers, leaving behind a legacy of service and sacrifice in the line of duty.
