On a tragic autumn day in 1988, Lieutenant James L. Schmit, a 41-year-old Caucasian male and a 20-year veteran of the Detroit Police Department, lost his life in the line of duty. The events leading to his death began on the morning of October 17th, when officers were dispatched to an apartment building at 4130 Springle Avenue to investigate a disturbance.
A mentally disturbed man named Charles Knowles had barricaded himself inside his apartment, which he had soaked with gasoline, and was preventing other tenants from entering the building.
Lieutenant Schmit was among the officers who responded to the escalating situation. While attempting to negotiate with Knowles at approximately 9:30 a.m., the situation took a fatal turn. Knowles fired a. 30-30 rifle through his front door, striking Schmit who was positioned outside. The gravely wounded lieutenant was rushed to Samaritan Health Center. Despite undergoing five hours of surgery, he succumbed to his injuries at 3:52 p.m.
The standoff with Charles Knowles continued for several hours after Lieutenant Schmit was shot. The siege resulted in the death of a second officer, Police Officer Frank Walls, who was a member of the Special Response Team. Officer Walls was fatally shot as he and his team made entry into the apartment. The six-hour ordeal concluded when other officers on the scene shot and killed Knowles.
An investigation into the incident revealed that Knowles had a history of paranoid schizophrenia and had reportedly been beaten and robbed the night before the fatal encounter. As the sole suspect, Charles Knowles, was killed at the scene, there were no subsequent arrests or trials in connection with the deaths of Lieutenant James L. Schmit and Officer Frank Walls. Lieutenant Schmit was survived by his wife and three children.
