VPC

"Officer Down"

Assault Weapons and the War on Law Enforcement

Section Three: Selected Incidents of Law Enforcement Officers Killed in the Line of Duty by Assault Weapons, 1998 Through 2001

Date: September 17, 2001

Location: Indianapolis, Indiana

Assault Weapon: AK-47 assault rifle

On September 17, 2001, Marion County Sheriff's Deputy Jason Baker, age 24, was killed during a car chase and gun battle. On his way to a report of a domestic dispute, Deputy Baker tried to make a traffic stop. The driver refused to stop and a chase ensued. Allen Dumperth, a convicted felon, and Michael Shannon, both age 20, fired at Baker from their fleeing car. When Baker's fellow officers found him, he was dead from a gunshot wound to the head. The front and rear windows of his patrol car were shot out. After crashing his car, Dumperth was shot and killed by members of the police SWAT team. Shannon later pleaded guilty in court to shooting Deputy Baker.

Vic Ryckaert, "Role in Deputy Death Brings 40 Years; 21-Year-Old Bought the Assault Rifles Used by 2 Men Accused in Slaying of Jason Baker," Indianapolis Star, April 11, 2002.

Each weapon shown is representative of the brand or model of assault weapon and is not a picture of the specific weapon used in the shooting described in the narrative.

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All contents � 2003 Violence Policy Center

The Violence Policy Center is a national non-profit educational foundation that conducts research on violence in America and works to develop violence-reduction policies and proposals. The Center examines the role of firearms in America, conducts research on firearms violence, and explores new ways to decrease firearm-related death and injury.