On a summer morning in 2003, the life of Patrick Martin Maher, a 46-year-old White male, was cut short in an act of violence that stemmed from a seemingly routine police action. A veteran of the United States Coast Guard and a dedicated police officer, Maher had served with the Honolulu Police Department for seven years before joining the Federal Way Police Department in Washington, where he had been for seven months.
On August 2, 2003, while on an unrelated assignment, Officer Maher
spotted a fight in a parking lot at South 272nd Street and Pacific Highway South in Kent. He intervened in the altercation, which involved two brothers and one of the brother's ex-girlfriends. As Maher worked to break up the fight, one of the men, Jason Scott Roberts, fled the scene on foot. Maher pursued Roberts, who then attempted to climb a fence to escape.
A struggle ensued between Officer Maher and Roberts. During the physical confrontation, Roberts managed to gain control of Maher's firearm. Roberts then shot Officer Maher in the abdomen, just below his bullet-resistant vest. The shot proved to be fatal. Maher was transported to Harborview Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the other brother involved in the initial altercation jumped on Roberts's back and held him until other officers arrived.
Jason Scott Roberts was arrested at the scene by the Kent Police Department and was subsequently charged with first-degree murder. Roberts, who had a history of drug addiction and theft, eventually pled guilty to the charge on October 21, 2005. During his sentencing, he expressed remorse for his actions, calling them a "stupid mistake." On December 9, 2005, Jason Scott Roberts was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of Officer Patrick Martin Maher.
