Daniel Gene Walters (August 15, 1966 – April 23, 2020) was an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...

player. He played as a

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catcher ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

(MLB) for the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

in the

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engines ...

and

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

seasons.

Career

Born in

Brunswick, Maine Brunswick is a New England town, town in Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 21,756 at the 2020 United States Census. Part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area, Brunswick is ...

, Walters attended

Santana High School Santana High School, located in Santee, California, is part of the Grossmont Union High School District. History 2001 Shooting On March 5, 2001, at Santana High School, 15-year-old Charles Andrew Williams shot and killed two students and injure ...

Santee, California Santee is a suburban city in San Diego County, California, with a population of 60,075 at the 2020 census. Although it is a part of the East County region, Santee is located just from the Pacific Ocean. The city is connected to the coastline ...

. In 84 career games, he had 64 hits in 273 at-bats, with a .234 batting average. After his playing days were over, Walters remained in San Diego and became a police officer with the

San Diego Police Department The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) is the primary law enforcement agency for the city of San Diego, California. The department was officially established on May 16, 1889. History Prior to the establishment of the San Diego Police Departm ...

. He became paralyzed from the neck down after he was shot in the neck and hit by a car in 2003. Later he regained some movement in his left hand. Walters died due to complications from his injuries on April 23, 2020. He was 53.

References

External links

1966 births 2020 deaths American expatriate baseball players in Canada American police officers American shooting survivors Asheville Tourists players Auburn Astros players Baseball players from Maine Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Columbus Astros players Deaths by firearm in California Edmonton Trappers players Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players Major League Baseball catchers Osceola Astros players People from Brunswick, Maine People murdered in California People with tetraplegia San Diego Padres players Baseball players from San Diego Tucson Toros players Wichita Wranglers players People with paraplegia {{US-baseball-catcher-1960s-stub