On a damp and chilly Friday afternoon, November 28, 1980, Bridgeport Police Officer Gerald T. Dijoseph, a 33-year-old Caucasian male, was on patrol. An 11-and-a-half-year veteran of the force, he was known as a dedicated officer and a family man with a wife and three young children. The day after Thanksgiving, what began as a routine shift took a tragic turn just a few blocks from police headquarters.
Around 4 p.m., Officer Dijoseph conducted a traffic stop on James Street, between Harral and Washington Avenues, for a car that had reportedly run a red light. During the stop, a struggle ensued, and the driver managed to gain control of Dijoseph's service weapon. The assailant then shot Officer Dijoseph in the head before fleeing the scene. The wounded officer was rushed to St. Vincent's Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 5:26 p.m.
The death of Officer Dijoseph, the last Bridgeport officer to be killed in the line of duty, sparked a lengthy investigation. Seven months after the fatal shooting, a suspect was apprehended in New York City by an NYPD officer following a vehicle pursuit. However, justice in the case would prove elusive. The suspect was brought to trial, but on February 9, 1987, nearly seven years after the incident, he was found not guilty. To this day, no one else has been charged in the murder of Officer Gerald Dijoseph. His memory is honored in Bridgeport, where a portion of James Street was renamed "Officer Gerald T. DiJoseph Way" to serve as a lasting reminder of his sacrifice.
