On the evening of February 10, 1987, Onondaga County Sheriff’s Deputy David R. Clark, 33, was escorting three prisoners to Dewitt Town Hall when one detainee, William Blake, disarmed Deputy Bernard Meleski and opened fire in the courtroom. Deputy Clark was fatally wounded and was taken to Crouse Irving Memorial Hospital, where he died in the early hours of February 11. Deputy Meleski was seriously injured but survived the initial attack.

William Blake was captured in the courthouse parking lot immediately after the shooting. He was later convicted of first-degree murder for Deputy Clark’s death and first-degree attempted murder for the wounding of Deputy Meleski, and received a sentence of life in prison plus an additional 60 years; separate robbery and drug sentences added 20 years and set a parole eligibility date of 2060.

Deputy Clark had served three years with the Sheriff’s Office and was a husband and father of two sons. Does anyone have memories of Deputy Clark or information about that night that could add to the record?