In the line of duty, 27-year-old Tucson Police Officer Jeffrey H. Ross, a White / Caucasian male, lost his life on the evening of February 18, 1982. With four years of service to the department, he was leading a team of narcotics officers on a 'buy/bust' operation at the Ranch House Bar on North Casa Grande Highway. The target of the raid was the bar's manager, Clifford Hamilton, who was suspected of cocaine distribution.
As Officer Ross and his team entered a back room of the
establishment to execute the arrest, Hamilton opened fire. A single round struck Officer Ross in the chest. Despite the immediate response from his fellow officers and being rushed to University Hospital, he succumbed to his wound just 17 minutes after his arrival.
In the ensuing moments after Officer Ross was shot, the other officers on the scene returned fire, fatally wounding the suspect, Clifford Hamilton. No arrests were made as the sole suspect was killed during the exchange of gunfire. Officer Ross was survived by his wife, who was also a Tucson police officer, his parents, and his siblings. In the years that followed, a memorial was established in his honor at a park in Tucson where he had played as a child, a tribute to his service and ultimate sacrifice.
