In the autumn of 1995, Washington, D.C. mourned the loss of one of its own, 28-year-old Metropolitan Police Department Officer Scot Shaffer Lewis. A two-year veteran of the force, Lewis was known for his preference for communication over confrontation, a man who would rather use a joke to diffuse a tense situation than resort to force. He was a man who, by all accounts, relished the opportunity to interact with the citizens he served.
On the evening of Friday, October 6, 1995, Officer
Lewis and his partner were on duty in the 1300 block of H Street NE. They had stopped to assist a motorist when, without warning or provocation, a man approached them and opened fire. A single bullet struck Lewis in the head. In the immediate aftermath, Lewis's partner returned fire, fatally wounding the assailant.
Officer Lewis was rushed to D.C. General Hospital, where he remained in critical condition for three days. The city held its breath, hoping for the recovery of the young officer. His colleagues, friends, and family gathered, a somber vigil for a man described as having an 'old-school toughness' but a deep well of compassion. Beyond his police duties, Lewis was a volunteer firefighter in his hometown of Bowie, Maryland, where he lived with his mother.
Despite the valiant efforts of the medical staff and the hopes of a community, Scot Shaffer Lewis succumbed to his injuries on Monday, October 9, 1995. His funeral was a solemn affair, attended by over 1,500 mourners, including more than a thousand uniformed officers from various law enforcement agencies. The hearse carrying his flag-draped coffin was led in a procession to the Washington National Cathedral, where he was remembered as a dedicated officer whose life was cut short by a senseless act of violence. The man who shot him was killed at the scene by Lewis's partner, leaving a city to grapple with the sudden and tragic loss of a public servant.
