In the winter of 1990, the city of Muncie, Indiana, was struck by a tragedy that would leave a lasting mark on its police force and the community. Gregg William Winters, a 32-year-old male officer with the Muncie Police Department, became a victim of a fatal act of violence while in the line of duty. With four years and three months of service, Officer Winters was a dedicated member of the force.
The incident that led to his untimely death began in the early morning hours of December 28,
1990. Officer Winters had responded to a traffic accident and subsequently arrested a 20-year-old man for public intoxication. After another officer searched the suspect, he was placed, handcuffed, in the back of Officer Winters' squad car for transport to the county jail. In a shocking turn of events, just a short distance from the jail, the handcuffed prisoner managed to retrieve a concealed. 25-caliber semi-automatic handgun. He then shot Officer Winters five times in the back of the head and neck. The patrol car was later found in a ditch.
Officer Winters fought for his life for eleven days at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis before succumbing to his severe injuries on January 8, 1991. One of the bullets had severed his spinal cord, leaving him unable to breathe on his own. He was survived by his wife, Molly, and their two young sons, Kyle, who was three years old, and Brock, who was just ten months old at the time.
The suspect, Michael Lambert, was taken into custody at the scene. He was subsequently convicted of murder and sentenced to death for the killing of Officer Winters. Despite numerous appeals and a plea for clemency that was ultimately denied by the governor, Lambert's sentence was carried out. On June 15, 2007, more than sixteen years after the murder, Michael Lambert was executed by lethal injection at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. The execution was witnessed by Officer Winters' brother, who was the deputy chief of the Muncie Police Department. In the years following her husband's death, Molly Winters became a prominent advocate for the survivors of officers killed in the line of duty, even serving as the national president for Concerns of Police Survivors.
