On the evening of Friday, September 9, 1977, a 29-year-old White male named Larry Frost was on duty as a Tacoma Police Officer. He and another officer responded to a report of vandalism at the Food King located at 3510 South 56th Street, where a brick had been thrown through a window. While his partner spoke with store personnel, Officer Frost began to search the surrounding area for the suspect.
At approximately 8:43 PM, near the intersection of South 64th Street and South Tacoma Way,
Officer Frost encountered David Ace Milford and attempted to place him under arrest. A struggle ensued, and Milford, who was larger than Frost, managed to strike the officer and knock him to the ground. During the altercation, Milford gained control of Officer Frost's service revolver and shot him multiple times in the chest and neck.
After the shooting, Milford discarded the weapon and fled the scene, stripping off his clothes as he ran. Responding officers discovered him a short distance away in a parking lot in the 6600 block of South Tacoma Way, lying naked and pretending to be unconscious. Milford was taken into custody without further incident. Officer Frost was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. He had been with the Tacoma Police Department for seven years and was survived by his son and daughter.
David Ace Milford was subsequently arrested, but he was found not guilty by reason of insanity. He was committed to a mental hospital for a period of time following the verdict. He was later released to a campus house off hospital grounds in 1981, and eventually moved to a home in Spokane under intensive probation.
