On a Friday afternoon in Lowell, Massachusetts, November 17, 1978, a veteran police officer’s shift was nearing its end. Christos Rouses, a 53-year-old White/Caucasian male, was assisting with a fire on Princeton Boulevard when a call came in about a silent alarm at Limby's Drugs on Branch Street, about a half-mile away. Knowing the area and the family who owned the pharmacy, Officer Rouses immediately responded to the call.
Arriving at the scene within a minute, he entered the drug
store to find that a robbery had just occurred and the perpetrator had fled through the back door. Without hesitation, Officer Rouses pursued the suspect on foot. He spotted the man up the street and ordered him to stop. The chase continued to 11 Smith Street, where a struggle broke out between the two men. In the ensuing scuffle, the suspect fired a. 38 caliber handgun, striking Officer Rouses in the head and chest. The perpetrator then fled to a waiting getaway car.
Responding to the scene, two other officers exchanged gunfire with the armed suspect, who was mortally wounded. Officer Rouses, who had served with the Lowell Police Department for 22 years, was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital. Tragically, he succumbed to his injuries and died at the hospital, less than five minutes after he had responded to the initial alarm. Had the call come in just a few minutes later, he would have been on his way back to the station, his shift over, heading home to his wife, two daughters, and son.
The suspect who shot Officer Rouses was killed at the scene, and as such, no arrests were made in his murder. The community of Lowell mourned the loss of the dedicated officer. In 1980, a memorial was dedicated in his honor at JFK Plaza, directly in front of the Lowell Police Department Headquarters, a lasting tribute to his ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
