On Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1953, a sense of unease settled over the Colorado Springs Police Department. Patrolman Richard Stanley Burchfield, a 34-year-old White/Caucasian male, was on duty, diligently working to solve a string of armed robberies that had been troubling the city. He had been a dedicated member of the force for five years and was a married father of three.
That evening, he radioed to dispatch that he was concluding his patrol of an area of interest and would soon be heading back to headquarters to meet with detectives. It was the last time they would hear from him.
A short time later, a citizen's call shattered the evening's quiet. The caller reported seeing a police car stopped at the curb near Bijou and El Paso streets with an officer slumped over the steering wheel. The grim discovery was made by fellow officers who rushed to the scene. They found Patrolman Burchfield in the driver's seat of his patrol car, having been shot multiple times at close range. The investigation that followed painted a chilling picture of his final moments. Evidence suggested that Burchfield had likely apprehended the robbery suspect he was searching for and was in the process of transporting him when he was killed by the very individual in his custody.
The investigation into Officer Burchfield's murder was extensive, stretching on for months and years, yet a definitive suspect was never brought to justice. Several potential suspects were identified and investigated over time, but no arrests were ever made. Witnesses reported seeing an old model Ford Coupe near Burchfield's patrol car around the time of the murder. The driver was described as a tall, thin white male, possibly in his late teens or early twenties, dressed in dark clothing. At the scene, an identification card belonging to a recent robbery victim was found near Burchfield's feet, further cementing the theory that he had confronted the perpetrator. Despite these leads, the case grew cold.
The murder of Patrolman Richard Stanley Burchfield remains an unsolved homicide, a painful chapter in the history of the Colorado Springs Police Department. The identity of the person or persons responsible for his death remains a mystery. The case stands as a somber reminder of the dangers faced by law enforcement officers and the enduring quest for justice for a fallen hero.
