On March 14, 1987, Deputy Sheriff Craig Dodge of the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office responded to a domestic assault call at 421 Main Street in Hickman, Nebraska. The initial report indicated that a husband had assaulted his wife and left the scene. While en route, Deputy Dodge received an update that the husband had returned, threatened a neighbor with a gun, and that additional units were approximately 20 minutes away.
Upon arrival, Deputy Dodge learned from a witness that the man was armed with a revolver and that the wife and their two young children were still inside the apartment. Hearing the woman's pleas, and aware of the delayed backup, Deputy Dodge attempted to de-escalate the situation by engaging the man in conversation at the apartment door. The man appeared, holding his wife in front of him with a concealed. 38 caliber revolver pressed against her back. After several minutes of dialogue, the man suddenly raised the handgun and fatally shot Deputy Dodge in the face.
The assailant fled the scene, discarding the weapon in a nearby creek, but was apprehended shortly thereafter. He was convicted of first-degree murder and using a weapon to commit a felony, receiving a life sentence in prison.
Deputy Dodge, aged 42 at the time of his death, had served with the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office for two years and had five years of law enforcement experience. He was survived by his wife, two sons, two stepsons, parents, brother, and two sisters.
In honor of his sacrifice, a memorial park and statue were dedicated to Deputy Dodge in Hickman, transforming the site of the tragedy into a place of remembrance and peace.
