2017: Deadly Year For Florida Law Enforcement

KISSIMMEE, FL — As the Kissimmee Police Department prepares to pay final respects to two of its officers slain in the line of duty last week, the total number of law enforcement deaths in Florida has climbed to levels not witnessed since 2011.

Officers Matthew Baxter, 27, and Sgt. Richard “Sam” Howard, 36, were checking out three suspicious males in the area of Cypress and Palmway in Kissimmee on Aug. 18. One of those males, Everett Miller, a former Marine, now stands accused of pulling out a firearm and gunning them down.

Baxter died Friday night. Howard died Saturday afternoon.

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Their deaths marked the sixth and seventh, respectively, for Florida law enforcement officers since 2017 began. That number is the highest in Florida since 2011 when 16 officers from across the state died, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. That year, included seven gunfire-related officer deaths. The Officer Down Memorial Page tracks line-of-duty law enforcement deaths across the country.

The year 2011 left the St. Petersburg Police Department especially hard hit with the Jan. 24, 2011, deaths of Officer Jeffrey Adam Yaslowitz and Sgt. Thomas John Baitinger. Their deaths were followed by a Feb. 21, 2011, shooting that left Officer David Scott Crawford dead.

This year began with the Jan. 9 shooting death of Lt. Debra Clayton of the Orlando Police Department. Clayton encountered Markeith Loyd at a Walmart store. The man, who allegedly killed his pregnant girlfriend, is now accused of pulling out a gun and opening fire on the lone police officer. Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy First Class Norman Lewis was killed in a motorcycle crash that occurred while he was responding to the officer down call related to Clayton’s shooting.

Previous years’ law enforcement deaths in Florida are as follows, according to the Officer Down Memorial page:

• 2016 – 6
• 2015 – 2
• 2014 – 6
• 2013 – 4
• 2012 – 5

While Florida experienced a significant uptick in its number of deaths over the past week, the Officer Down Memorial Page reports statistics across the country aren’t quite as bleak. The overall line-of-duty death tally stood at 83 as of Aug. 23, which represents a 0 percent increase over last year. Gunfire deaths stood at 30, which represents a 17 percent decline over 2016. Meanwhile, auto-related fatalities for officers are on the rise across the country. The page reports 31 deaths, or a 7 percent rise, since the year began.

As of Wednesday, Aug. 23, Florida and Texas had both recorded seven line-of-duty deaths in 2017. New York led the country with eight.

There were 146 line-of-duty deaths in 2016. Sixty-three were attributed to gunfire, three to accidental gunfire and 20 to automobile crashes. Other causes included an animal-related death, two drownings, a stabbing and an incident involving a train.

Deadly Friday

As news of the deadly shooting in Kissimmee broke on Friday night, police in Jacksonville and Pennsylvania also found themselves under fire. Two Jacksonville Sheriff’s officers were fired upon by a suspect with a high-powered rifle. “One officer was shot in both hands and one officer was shot in the stomach,” the agency reported on Facebook. “Both officers engaged the suspect with gunfire and the suspect was shot and killed.”

Both officers were seriously injured, the agency reported.

Meanwhile, in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, two state troopers were shot and a suspect was killed during a burglary investigation, according to CBS News. One trooper was treated and released after suffering a gunshot wound to the hand. The other was shot in the stomach and was airlifted to a trauma center, the network reported.

Kissimmee Mourns

Friday’s fatal shooting has prompted an outpouring of support for the Kissimmee Police Department and the fallen officers’ families. A temporary memorial for Baxter and Howard was set up outside police department headquarters in Kissimmee. Both officers’ cars were stationed out front near the flagpoles, where fellow officers and community members laid wreaths, balloons and other tributes to their service and sacrifice.

A fundraiser for the officers’ families has also been established through SunTrust bank. The joint account to benefit both Howard and Baxter’s families was established in the City of Kissimmee’s names in care of Baxter and Howard. The account number is 1000193639936, according to the police department.

The two officers will share a joint funeral on Thursday, Aug. 24. The service is set to begin at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Orlando, 3000 S. John Parkway. Interment is planned to follow at Woodlawn Memorial Park & Funeral Home, 400 Woodlawn Cemetery Road in Gotha.

The police department is asking people to make donations to the account set up at SunTrust in lieu of flowers.

Photo via the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page