On June 16, 1984, Harold Lee 'Sonny' Rogers, a 46-year-old White male and detective with the Terre Haute Police Department, was shot and killed in Terre Haute, Indiana. The incident occurred at the Wagon Wheel Night Club located at 3rd and Walnut Streets, where Detective Rogers was off-duty and performing with his band. A disturbance broke out in the venue when two patrons began arguing, leading to a confrontation that escalated quickly.
During the altercation, a 39-year-old male subject
brandished a. 44-caliber handgun and began threatening patrons. Rogers, witnessing the danger, attempted to intervene and protect the crowd by drawing his own weapon and instructing the individuals to get down. Gunfire was exchanged during the confrontation, and Rogers was struck once in the head, dying instantly. His father and one of his sons were also playing in the band at the time and witnessed the shooting. Rogers was transported to Union Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
The suspect, a six-time convicted felon, had recently been released from the United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas, and had escaped from a halfway house near St. Louis, Missouri. Following the shooting, the suspect fled the scene along with his brother, sister-in-law, and his 23-year-old girlfriend, who had also been struck by gunfire during the incident. Police launched a manhunt and eventually located the murder weapon at the suspect's brother's trailer in Universal, Indiana. The body of the suspect's girlfriend was later discovered buried in a nearby cemetery.
Law enforcement apprehended the suspect, who was subsequently charged and convicted of murder. He received a 90-year prison sentence for the crime. He remained incarcerated until his death in prison in 2006. Detective Rogers had served with the Terre Haute Police Department for 21 years and was survived by his wife, three sons, a daughter, and grandchildren.
