Deputy Sheriff Gregory Hans, a 48-year-old male, was shot and killed in Jefferson County, Kentucky, on March 10, 1997. He had served with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office for seven years.
On that fateful day, Deputy Hans, though not dispatched to the call, observed and stopped at the scene of a domestic dispute near the intersection of 2nd Street and Southern Heights Avenue before the arrival of Louisville police officers. The suspect in the dispute ambushed Deputy Hans while he was in his patrol car. A struggle ensued, during which the assailant managed to gain control of Deputy Hans's service weapon and shot him. The gunman then attempted to fire at a witness, but the weapon jammed. Deputy Hans was transported to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. He was wearing his protective vest at the time of the incident.
The suspect, identified as Vincent Stopher, was located a short time later walking down the street and was arrested after a brief struggle. It was discovered that Stopher was on parole at the time of the shooting. He had served three years of a twelve-year sentence for beating a man and stealing his credit cards. His criminal history included at least 17 arrests since 1990, one of which was for assaulting a state trooper.
Following his arrest for the murder of Deputy Hans, Vincent Stopher was tried and convicted. On February 14, 1998, he was sentenced to death for his crime. Twenty years after his death, in 2017, Deputy Hans was posthumously awarded the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Medal of Honor, an award that did not exist at the time of his death. His son, who also pursued a career in law enforcement, accepted the medal in his father's memory. Deputy Hans was survived by his son and two daughters.
