Police Officer John Stuart Trettin

John Stuart Trettin

Police Officer John Trettin was shot and fatally wounded by a bullet fired from the roof of a housing project at 25th and Jackson Streets as he and several officers investigated a report of shots being fired.

He died four days later from a gunshot wound to the head. A 15-year-old youth was arrested the next day and charged with murder.

The suspect, who told police, "I just wanted to kill a cop," was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life on September 21st, 1976. In September 2017, the subject was resentenced to 44 years to life in prison, making him eligible for parole, following a United States Supreme Court ruling prohibiting mandatory life sentences for juvenile offenders.

Officer Trettin was a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War and had served with the Philadelphia Police Department for five years. He was survived by his wife and three young children.