In the late afternoon of a Monday in Oakland City, Indiana, a routine traffic stop turned into a tragic event that would end the life of a young police officer. Patrol Officer Michael Edward Deno, a 24-year-old male who had been with the Oakland City Police Department for a year, pulled over a man he recognized as having a suspended driver's license on February 28, 2000.
The stop occurred at 339 North Jackson Street in the small Gibson County town.
During the encounter, the 24-year-old driver unexpectedly produced a. 25-caliber handgun that he had concealed in his back pocket. Without warning, he fired a single shot, striking Officer Deno in the right side of his head. The suspect then fled the scene, leaving the gravely wounded officer behind. Emergency services rushed Officer Deno to St. Mary's Medical Center of Evansville, but his injury was too severe. He succumbed to the gunshot wound the following morning, on February 29, 2000.
The shooter's freedom was short-lived. A manhunt was quickly launched, and authorities apprehended the suspect approximately an hour later near the town of Buckskin. He was subsequently charged with the murder of Officer Deno. The legal process moved forward to a death penalty case, where the suspect was ultimately convicted of murder. In December of 2000, a judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In addition to the life sentence for murder, he received a concurrent 20-year sentence for a drug possession charge.
