ID 4579
E.O.W.: 09/17/1991
It was one of the foggiest days of the year in the early morning hours of September 17, 1991, when Officer John Leamons was dispatched to a domestic violence call in an apartment complex at Meadowbrook Drive and Paradise Valley Road.
When Leamons arrived, at first he couldn't find the female victim. She had fled her apartment after being beaten by her live in boyfriend, 34-year-old Arnoldo DeVilla.
After walking the complex Leamons finally found her cowering in fear between several apartments with a large gash to her forehead. The woman's young son was hiding with her.
As Officer Leamons walked the woman and son back to the apartment, the son told him DeVilla was armed with a .45 handgun and he didn't know where he was.
As Officer Leamons gathered the suspect's information, nearby officers began driving to the apartment complex to help him with a search. Officer's Ron Davis and Bob Anschick volunteered to assist on the call.
As Leamons was gathering more information about DeVilla from the son, he heard a number of shots ring out in the night air. Then there were more. Not knowing what happened, Officer Leamons ran towards where he thought the shots had came from. What Officer Leamons had heard was a gunfight between DeVilla and Officer Anschick.
Anschick later recalled, "the fog that night was as thick as pea soup. You could hardly see anything out there. When we pulled into the parking lot we saw a guy matching DeVilla's description walking in front of us. Ron shined the spotlight on him but he kept walking. Ron and I debated whether or not that was him as he didn't really fit the description. I put the car in park and as soon as we got out to talk to him he opened fire with a .45." Officer Anschick immediately drew his weapon and began firing back at DeVilla.
During the gunfight Officer Anschick thought his gun jammed and reached up to clear it. It was then he realized he had emptied his weapon.
As DeVilla fled into the night Officer Anschick reloaded and fired at him. One of the shots struck DeVilla in the back causing him to lurch forward. He was hit, but due to fat on his back and thick clothing the bullet didn't penetrate. With DeVilla gone Officer Anschick ran to his fallen partner only to discover several shots had hit Officer Davis and penetrated his bulletproof vest. It had all happened so fast Officer Davis did not even have time to draw his gun. As Officer Davis lay on the ground Officer Anschick tried desperately to close his wounds while summoning an ambulance and additional officers.
As Officer Leamons ran through the fog towards Officers Davis and Anschick, he actually passed DeVilla running the other way. Had there been clear visibility, Officer Leamons certainly would have seen the gunman.
The sun was now beginning to come up as the police radio uttered the words every cop dreads "officer down." As officers flooded the area, Officer Davis was rushed to Mercy Hospital where he was officially pronounced dead several hours later.
Back at the scene there were two issues to be dealt with. The first was to locate DeVilla. The second was to preserve the crime scene and protect the evidence.
As teams of detectives conducted their investigation, SWAT officers searched the area. It ended almost eight hours later when Officer Sylvester Wade spotted DeVilla hiding under a car in the north corner of the lot. The angle of how the car was parked, and its location in the lot, made a pretty good hiding place. Apparently DeVilla had been watching Wade and when the officer looked under the car a single shot rang out. DeVilla had shot himself in the head and died instantly. Officer Wade, not knowing who the shot was intended for, fired several shots under the car.
The tragedy surrounding Ron Davis was full of irony.
As a police recruit just two years before, he had won the academy's Jerry Lee Hartless award, given to the most inspirational officer by his/her classmates. Another irony was that the spot where he was killed was not an unfamiliar location to him. Officer Davis had taken a special interest in the apartment complex and was working hard to clean up the criminal element there.
At the time of his death Officer Davis was twenty four years old and married to his high school sweetheart Wendy. The couple had two boys, ages four years and eighteen months. When Wendy was told of her husband's murder she was so distraught she could not stay in the house the couple once shared. As a gesture of kindness, Officer Leamons opened his home to the Davis family as they tried to get their lives back together.
At Ron's funeral more than 2000 officers came to pay their respects.
Officer Anschick took the next two weeks off to recover from his ordeal. Barely two full years into his career, Officer Anschick would find himself asking himself if the job was really worth it. Ultimately he decided it was and went onto a successful career. Officer Anshick later said he will always regret not killing DeVilla.
For a year after the incident, Officer Leamons said he spent a lot of time looking back and second-guessing himself as to what he could have done differently. In the end he came to realize there was probably nothing that could have changed what happened.
Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007:
Name Ronald Wayne Davis
Gender Male
Race White
Birth Date 10 Dec 1966
Birth Place Gold Beach, Oregon
Death Date Sep 1991
Death Place San Diego, California
E.O.W.: 09/17/1991
It was one of the foggiest days of the year in the early morning hours of September 17, 1991, when Officer John Leamons was dispatched to a domestic violence call in an apartment complex at Meadowbrook Drive and Paradise Valley Road.
When Leamons arrived, at first he couldn't find the female victim. She had fled her apartment after being beaten by her live in boyfriend, 34-year-old Arnoldo DeVilla.
After walking the complex Leamons finally found her cowering in fear between several apartments with a large gash to her forehead. The woman's young son was hiding with her.
As Officer Leamons walked the woman and son back to the apartment, the son told him DeVilla was armed with a .45 handgun and he didn't know where he was.
As Officer Leamons gathered the suspect's information, nearby officers began driving to the apartment complex to help him with a search. Officer's Ron Davis and Bob Anschick volunteered to assist on the call.
As Leamons was gathering more information about DeVilla from the son, he heard a number of shots ring out in the night air. Then there were more. Not knowing what happened, Officer Leamons ran towards where he thought the shots had came from. What Officer Leamons had heard was a gunfight between DeVilla and Officer Anschick.
Anschick later recalled, "the fog that night was as thick as pea soup. You could hardly see anything out there. When we pulled into the parking lot we saw a guy matching DeVilla's description walking in front of us. Ron shined the spotlight on him but he kept walking. Ron and I debated whether or not that was him as he didn't really fit the description. I put the car in park and as soon as we got out to talk to him he opened fire with a .45." Officer Anschick immediately drew his weapon and began firing back at DeVilla.
During the gunfight Officer Anschick thought his gun jammed and reached up to clear it. It was then he realized he had emptied his weapon.
As DeVilla fled into the night Officer Anschick reloaded and fired at him. One of the shots struck DeVilla in the back causing him to lurch forward. He was hit, but due to fat on his back and thick clothing the bullet didn't penetrate. With DeVilla gone Officer Anschick ran to his fallen partner only to discover several shots had hit Officer Davis and penetrated his bulletproof vest. It had all happened so fast Officer Davis did not even have time to draw his gun. As Officer Davis lay on the ground Officer Anschick tried desperately to close his wounds while summoning an ambulance and additional officers.
As Officer Leamons ran through the fog towards Officers Davis and Anschick, he actually passed DeVilla running the other way. Had there been clear visibility, Officer Leamons certainly would have seen the gunman.
The sun was now beginning to come up as the police radio uttered the words every cop dreads "officer down." As officers flooded the area, Officer Davis was rushed to Mercy Hospital where he was officially pronounced dead several hours later.
Back at the scene there were two issues to be dealt with. The first was to locate DeVilla. The second was to preserve the crime scene and protect the evidence.
As teams of detectives conducted their investigation, SWAT officers searched the area. It ended almost eight hours later when Officer Sylvester Wade spotted DeVilla hiding under a car in the north corner of the lot. The angle of how the car was parked, and its location in the lot, made a pretty good hiding place. Apparently DeVilla had been watching Wade and when the officer looked under the car a single shot rang out. DeVilla had shot himself in the head and died instantly. Officer Wade, not knowing who the shot was intended for, fired several shots under the car.
The tragedy surrounding Ron Davis was full of irony.
As a police recruit just two years before, he had won the academy's Jerry Lee Hartless award, given to the most inspirational officer by his/her classmates. Another irony was that the spot where he was killed was not an unfamiliar location to him. Officer Davis had taken a special interest in the apartment complex and was working hard to clean up the criminal element there.
At the time of his death Officer Davis was twenty four years old and married to his high school sweetheart Wendy. The couple had two boys, ages four years and eighteen months. When Wendy was told of her husband's murder she was so distraught she could not stay in the house the couple once shared. As a gesture of kindness, Officer Leamons opened his home to the Davis family as they tried to get their lives back together.
At Ron's funeral more than 2000 officers came to pay their respects.
Officer Anschick took the next two weeks off to recover from his ordeal. Barely two full years into his career, Officer Anschick would find himself asking himself if the job was really worth it. Ultimately he decided it was and went onto a successful career. Officer Anshick later said he will always regret not killing DeVilla.
For a year after the incident, Officer Leamons said he spent a lot of time looking back and second-guessing himself as to what he could have done differently. In the end he came to realize there was probably nothing that could have changed what happened.
Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007:
Name Ronald Wayne Davis
Gender Male
Race White
Birth Date 10 Dec 1966
Birth Place Gold Beach, Oregon
Death Date Sep 1991
Death Place San Diego, California
ID 4579
E.O.W.: 09/17/1991
It was one of the foggiest days of the year in the early morning hours of September 17, 1991, when Officer John Leamons was dispatched to a domestic violence call in an apartment complex at Meadowbrook Drive and Paradise Valley Road.
When Leamons arrived, at first he couldn't find the female victim. She had fled her apartment after being beaten by her live in boyfriend, 34-year-old Arnoldo DeVilla.
After walking the complex Leamons finally found her cowering in fear between several apartments with a large gash to her forehead. The woman's young son was hiding with her.
As Officer Leamons walked the woman and son back to the apartment, the son told him DeVilla was armed with a .45 handgun and he didn't know where he was.
As Officer Leamons gathered the suspect's information, nearby officers began driving to the apartment complex to help him with a search. Officer's Ron Davis and Bob Anschick volunteered to assist on the call.
As Leamons was gathering more information about DeVilla from the son, he heard a number of shots ring out in the night air. Then there were more. Not knowing what happened, Officer Leamons ran towards where he thought the shots had came from. What Officer Leamons had heard was a gunfight between DeVilla and Officer Anschick.
Anschick later recalled, "the fog that night was as thick as pea soup. You could hardly see anything out there. When we pulled into the parking lot we saw a guy matching DeVilla's description walking in front of us. Ron shined the spotlight on him but he kept walking. Ron and I debated whether or not that was him as he didn't really fit the description. I put the car in park and as soon as we got out to talk to him he opened fire with a .45." Officer Anschick immediately drew his weapon and began firing back at DeVilla.
During the gunfight Officer Anschick thought his gun jammed and reached up to clear it. It was then he realized he had emptied his weapon.
As DeVilla fled into the night Officer Anschick reloaded and fired at him. One of the shots struck DeVilla in the back causing him to lurch forward. He was hit, but due to fat on his back and thick clothing the bullet didn't penetrate. With DeVilla gone Officer Anschick ran to his fallen partner only to discover several shots had hit Officer Davis and penetrated his bulletproof vest. It had all happened so fast Officer Davis did not even have time to draw his gun. As Officer Davis lay on the ground Officer Anschick tried desperately to close his wounds while summoning an ambulance and additional officers.
As Officer Leamons ran through the fog towards Officers Davis and Anschick, he actually passed DeVilla running the other way. Had there been clear visibility, Officer Leamons certainly would have seen the gunman.
The sun was now beginning to come up as the police radio uttered the words every cop dreads "officer down." As officers flooded the area, Officer Davis was rushed to Mercy Hospital where he was officially pronounced dead several hours later.
Back at the scene there were two issues to be dealt with. The first was to locate DeVilla. The second was to preserve the crime scene and protect the evidence.
As teams of detectives conducted their investigation, SWAT officers searched the area. It ended almost eight hours later when Officer Sylvester Wade spotted DeVilla hiding under a car in the north corner of the lot. The angle of how the car was parked, and its location in the lot, made a pretty good hiding place. Apparently DeVilla had been watching Wade and when the officer looked under the car a single shot rang out. DeVilla had shot himself in the head and died instantly. Officer Wade, not knowing who the shot was intended for, fired several shots under the car.
The tragedy surrounding Ron Davis was full of irony.
As a police recruit just two years before, he had won the academy's Jerry Lee Hartless award, given to the most inspirational officer by his/her classmates. Another irony was that the spot where he was killed was not an unfamiliar location to him. Officer Davis had taken a special interest in the apartment complex and was working hard to clean up the criminal element there.
At the time of his death Officer Davis was twenty four years old and married to his high school sweetheart Wendy. The couple had two boys, ages four years and eighteen months. When Wendy was told of her husband's murder she was so distraught she could not stay in the house the couple once shared. As a gesture of kindness, Officer Leamons opened his home to the Davis family as they tried to get their lives back together.
At Ron's funeral more than 2000 officers came to pay their respects.
Officer Anschick took the next two weeks off to recover from his ordeal. Barely two full years into his career, Officer Anschick would find himself asking himself if the job was really worth it. Ultimately he decided it was and went onto a successful career. Officer Anshick later said he will always regret not killing DeVilla.
For a year after the incident, Officer Leamons said he spent a lot of time looking back and second-guessing himself as to what he could have done differently. In the end he came to realize there was probably nothing that could have changed what happened.
Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007:
Name Ronald Wayne Davis
Gender Male
Race White
Birth Date 10 Dec 1966
Birth Place Gold Beach, Oregon
Death Date Sep 1991
Death Place San Diego, California
E.O.W.: 09/17/1991
It was one of the foggiest days of the year in the early morning hours of September 17, 1991, when Officer John Leamons was dispatched to a domestic violence call in an apartment complex at Meadowbrook Drive and Paradise Valley Road.
When Leamons arrived, at first he couldn't find the female victim. She had fled her apartment after being beaten by her live in boyfriend, 34-year-old Arnoldo DeVilla.
After walking the complex Leamons finally found her cowering in fear between several apartments with a large gash to her forehead. The woman's young son was hiding with her.
As Officer Leamons walked the woman and son back to the apartment, the son told him DeVilla was armed with a .45 handgun and he didn't know where he was.
As Officer Leamons gathered the suspect's information, nearby officers began driving to the apartment complex to help him with a search. Officer's Ron Davis and Bob Anschick volunteered to assist on the call.
As Leamons was gathering more information about DeVilla from the son, he heard a number of shots ring out in the night air. Then there were more. Not knowing what happened, Officer Leamons ran towards where he thought the shots had came from. What Officer Leamons had heard was a gunfight between DeVilla and Officer Anschick.
Anschick later recalled, "the fog that night was as thick as pea soup. You could hardly see anything out there. When we pulled into the parking lot we saw a guy matching DeVilla's description walking in front of us. Ron shined the spotlight on him but he kept walking. Ron and I debated whether or not that was him as he didn't really fit the description. I put the car in park and as soon as we got out to talk to him he opened fire with a .45." Officer Anschick immediately drew his weapon and began firing back at DeVilla.
During the gunfight Officer Anschick thought his gun jammed and reached up to clear it. It was then he realized he had emptied his weapon.
As DeVilla fled into the night Officer Anschick reloaded and fired at him. One of the shots struck DeVilla in the back causing him to lurch forward. He was hit, but due to fat on his back and thick clothing the bullet didn't penetrate. With DeVilla gone Officer Anschick ran to his fallen partner only to discover several shots had hit Officer Davis and penetrated his bulletproof vest. It had all happened so fast Officer Davis did not even have time to draw his gun. As Officer Davis lay on the ground Officer Anschick tried desperately to close his wounds while summoning an ambulance and additional officers.
As Officer Leamons ran through the fog towards Officers Davis and Anschick, he actually passed DeVilla running the other way. Had there been clear visibility, Officer Leamons certainly would have seen the gunman.
The sun was now beginning to come up as the police radio uttered the words every cop dreads "officer down." As officers flooded the area, Officer Davis was rushed to Mercy Hospital where he was officially pronounced dead several hours later.
Back at the scene there were two issues to be dealt with. The first was to locate DeVilla. The second was to preserve the crime scene and protect the evidence.
As teams of detectives conducted their investigation, SWAT officers searched the area. It ended almost eight hours later when Officer Sylvester Wade spotted DeVilla hiding under a car in the north corner of the lot. The angle of how the car was parked, and its location in the lot, made a pretty good hiding place. Apparently DeVilla had been watching Wade and when the officer looked under the car a single shot rang out. DeVilla had shot himself in the head and died instantly. Officer Wade, not knowing who the shot was intended for, fired several shots under the car.
The tragedy surrounding Ron Davis was full of irony.
As a police recruit just two years before, he had won the academy's Jerry Lee Hartless award, given to the most inspirational officer by his/her classmates. Another irony was that the spot where he was killed was not an unfamiliar location to him. Officer Davis had taken a special interest in the apartment complex and was working hard to clean up the criminal element there.
At the time of his death Officer Davis was twenty four years old and married to his high school sweetheart Wendy. The couple had two boys, ages four years and eighteen months. When Wendy was told of her husband's murder she was so distraught she could not stay in the house the couple once shared. As a gesture of kindness, Officer Leamons opened his home to the Davis family as they tried to get their lives back together.
At Ron's funeral more than 2000 officers came to pay their respects.
Officer Anschick took the next two weeks off to recover from his ordeal. Barely two full years into his career, Officer Anschick would find himself asking himself if the job was really worth it. Ultimately he decided it was and went onto a successful career. Officer Anshick later said he will always regret not killing DeVilla.
For a year after the incident, Officer Leamons said he spent a lot of time looking back and second-guessing himself as to what he could have done differently. In the end he came to realize there was probably nothing that could have changed what happened.
Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007:
Name Ronald Wayne Davis
Gender Male
Race White
Birth Date 10 Dec 1966
Birth Place Gold Beach, Oregon
Death Date Sep 1991
Death Place San Diego, California
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