On a January afternoon in 1989, a veteran police officer's life was tragically cut short on the side of a highway in Jefferson County, Kentucky. Frank W. Pysher, Jr., a 43-year-old White male, had served with the Jefferson County Police Department for over 17 years. On January 10th, he responded to a call about a man armed with a rifle walking along the interchange of I-265 and Smyrna Road.
Pysher, a husband, father, and grandfather, located the individual and, likely recognizing him from previous encounters, rolled down his patrol car window to speak with him. The man, identified as Mark Daniel Sallee, raised a. 22 caliber rifle and fired twice, striking Officer Pysher in the head. The patrol car, with the mortally wounded officer inside, continued to move, crossing into oncoming traffic before coming to a stop against a guardrail. He was rushed to a local hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
The suspect, Mark Daniel Sallee, had a documented history of mental illness, including a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Prior to the fatal encounter with Officer Pysher, Sallee had been discharged from the Army due to his mental health condition. Following the shooting, Sallee was apprehended. However, he was ultimately found incompetent to stand trial for the murder of Officer Frank W. Pysher, Jr. and was committed to a state mental institution.
