In the quiet forests east of Flagstaff, a routine check on a seemingly ordinary campsite spiraled into a tragic and fatal encounter for 41-year-old Reserve Deputy John B. Jamison. On September 6, 1982, Deputy Jamison was responding to a call to check on a fellow deputy who had lost radio contact while investigating a suspicious pickup truck. Unbeknownst to Jamison, the deputy he was trying to assist was in grave danger, having been disarmed and taken hostage by a man who had just learned the
truck was stolen.
As Jamison approached the scene, he was met with a sudden and brutal ambush. The male suspect, armed with an M-16 rifle, opened fire on Jamison's patrol car. The relentless barrage of bullets pinned Jamison down, and the assailant advanced on the vehicle, firing a total of 27 rounds. The deputy was struck three times and died at the scene. The shooter and a female companion fled but were later apprehended by a combined force of Flagstaff police officers and Coconino County deputies.
The subsequent investigation revealed the harrowing details of the initial stop, where the first deputy had pleaded for his life, showing the gunman a picture of his wife and baby. Following their capture, both suspects faced justice. The male shooter was sentenced to death and ultimately executed in 2000 for the murder of Reserve Deputy Jamison. His female accomplice received a 21-year prison sentence and was released after serving 14 years. The violent death of Deputy Jamison left a lasting scar on the community and his fellow officers, who remembered him as a dedicated public servant.
