Lieutenant Gordon Smith, Jr.

Gordon Smith, Jr.

Lieutenant Gordon Smith was shot and killed while chasing a sexual assault and murder suspect.

The suspect jumped a fence and waited on the other side. As the officers used a barrel to climb over the fence the suspect shot Lieutenant Smith in the chest with a .357 caliber revolver he had taken from a deputy sheriff.

Although mortally wounded, Lieutenant Smith was able to return fire with his Thompson 45 submachine gun and killed the suspect.

Lieutenant Smith was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of WWII and had been wounded twice in action while serving in the Pacific. He had served with the Midland Police Department for 15 years and had previously served with the Sherman Police Department for seven years. He was survived by his wife, five children, and father.