Gerald Dennis Vick, a 42-year-old sergeant with the St. Paul Police Department, was tragically killed on May 6, 2005. At approximately 2:20 am, Sergeant Vick was conducting an undercover vice investigation with his partner. They were working on a prostitution case in several east side bars when they encountered two men near a bar at 7th and Forest Streets. The men were talking with bar patrons, possibly attempting to set up a robbery.
Sergeant Vick and his partner spoke with the men and told them to move along. The officers then separated and went to their respective cars.
As Sergeant Vick approached his car, he encountered the two men again. After a brief exchange of words, both men fled into a darkened alley. The officers pursued the suspects into the alley, where one of the men pulled out a handgun and opened fire, fatally wounding Sergeant Vick. The suspects fled the scene, but both were apprehended later that day. The man who shot Sergeant Vick was charged with first-degree murder. He was subsequently convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in January 2006.
Sergeant Vick had served with the St. Paul Police Department for 16 years and was the agency's only three-time Medal of Valor recipient. He is survived by his wife, two children, parents, brother, and two sisters.
