Steven Francis Gaughan (June 16, 1964June 21, 2005) was an American policeman from
Prince George's County, Maryland
)
, demonym = Prince Georgian
, ZIP codes = 20607–20774
, area codes = 240, 301
, founded date = April 23
, founded year = 1696
, named for = Prince George of Denmark
, leader_title = Executive
, leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrooks ( ...
, assigned to the Beltsville District, Special Assignment Team of the
Prince George's County Police Department
The Prince George's County Police Department (PGPD) is the primary law enforcement agency in Prince George's County, Maryland in the United States, servicing a population of over 900,000 residents and visitors within 498 square miles (1,290& ...
.
In June 2005, he was shot and killed by Robert Mark Billett (born March 6, 1962)
following a traffic stop in
Laurel, Maryland
Laurel is a city in Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River. While the city limits are entirely in northern Prince George's County, outlying developments extend into Anne Arun ...
.
Death
On Tuesday, June 21, 2005, Gaughan and his partners, Michael Eubanks and Shawn Phoebus, pulled over a suspicious vehicle near the intersection of
Maryland Route 197
Maryland Route 197 (MD 197) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known for most of its length as Laurel Bowie Road, the state highway runs from U.S. Route 301 (US 301) in Bowie north to MD 198 in Laurel. MD 197 serves as the m ...
and South Laurel Drive in Laurel, Maryland.
The three men in the car fled when the car was stopped. While chasing one of the men, Robert M. Billett, shots were exchanged, and during this exchange both Billett and Gaughan were hit. Gaughan took a fatal hit and died at Prince George's Hospital Center several hours later.
Billett was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Legacy
Street corner dedication
On July 14, 2007, the
City of Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most ...
dedicated the street corner where Gaughan grew up to his memory by renaming it Steven F. Gaughan Corner. A portion of the street on which he was killed was also renamed Steven F. Gaughan Drive.
Gaughan's name is also engraved on the
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial is in Washington, D.C., at Judiciary Square, adjacent to the National Law Enforcement Museum. It honors 23,229 U.S. law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty throughout American hist ...
in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
See also
*
List of American police officers killed in the line of duty
This is a list of U.S. law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Summaries of the overall casualty figures, by year, are also provided.
Overview by year
According to the FBI, which publishes the data in the Uniform Crime Report ...
References
External links
Steven F. Gaughanat ODMP
1964 births
2005 deaths
2005 murders in the United States
Deaths by firearm in Maryland
American police officers
People from Prince George's County, Maryland
People murdered in Maryland
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