News of a Raleigh officer’s death was delivered next to the city’s police memorial
When Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin and other Raleigh officials emerged from city hall to announce that a Raleigh police officer and four other people had been shot to death Thursday evening, they stood a few feet from a memorial to fallen police officers.
The Raleigh Police Memorial was dedicated in 2014 to the eight officers who had died in the line of duty going back to 1922. Designed by Raleigh artist Thomas Sayre, the memorial consists of 21 granite columns at one end of a 64-foot-long water table that flows toward a single column that bears the names of the eight officers.
It’s not clear whether Officer Gabriel Torres will join them. Torres, 29, was off duty when he was shot in the Hedingham neighborhood near the Neuse River on the city’s east side. He had worked for the department for 18 months and leaves behind a wife and child, according to Police Chief Estella Patterson.
When the memorial’s design was unveiled, Sayre said the 21 granite columns were meant to speak to the interconnectedness of the police department.
“Each one is different,” he said, “but they have a family resemblance.”
Three of the officers honored by the memorial died of gunshot wounds. The five others were killed in car or motorcycle crashes while on duty, the most recent in 2002.
Raleigh police and others gather at the memorial on the anniversary of each officer’s death for an “end of watch” ceremony, to lay a wreath and remember. Here are the eight officers:
▪ Detective Tom G. Crabtree was shot and killed on Sept. 1, 1922, after being confronted by an intoxicated 19-year-old man. He had been with the department for nine years and left behind a son.
▪ Officer Robert E. Sparks was killed in a motorcycle crash on Ridge Road while chasing a speeding motorist on March 8, 1968. He had been with the department for 15 months and left behind a wife.
▪ Officers James W. Allen and James G. Lee were both killed on Dec. 5, 1968, when their patrol car was hit by another vehicle and pushed into a utility pole. Allen had been with the department for two years, Lee for four years.
▪ Officer Delma D. Adams was shot and killed after arresting a woman suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol on Feb. 3, 1980. The woman was in the back seat of his patrol car when she pulled out a gun and shot Adams in the head as he sat behind the wheel. He had been with the department for 13 years and was survived by a wife and two sons.
▪ Officer Denise Holden was killed when her patrol car hit a telephone pole at the intersection of Hillsborough and Morgan streets on Aug. 4, 1995. Holden was responding to a call about another officer needing assistance. She had been with the department for seven months and was survived by her parents and a sister.
▪ Detective Paul A. Hale was shot and killed when he and his partner pulled over a homicide suspect. Hale’s partner returned fire, wounding the suspect. Hale had been with the department for seven years and had been promoted to detective only five days earlier. He left a wife and two daughters.
▪ Officer Charles R. Paul was killed when his motorcycle hit a guard rail on Interstate 40 as he attempting to catch up to a speeding vehicle on Sept. 10, 2002. Paul had been with the department for seven years and was survived by his wife and daughter.
As she announced the death of Torres on Thursday night, a visibly shaken Baldwin offered solace and praise for the city’s police department. At the time, officers had “contained” the 15-year-old suspect but had not yet arrested him.
“It’s a tragic day because Raleigh police have lost one of their own,” Baldwin said. “I just want to thank the extraordinary officers of the Raleigh Police Department who even now, right now, are protecting us and putting themselves in harm’s way to arrest the suspect. They care about our great city. They care about the people who live here. And I just want to say that we really appreciate them.”
This story was originally published October 14, 2022 at 11:42 AM with the headline "News of a Raleigh officer’s death was delivered next to the city’s police memorial."
