Laurits Pepe Petersen, 75, a retired Stockton police detective, was fatally stabbed on February 23, 2016, at Cortez Park on Tam O’Shanter Drive. The attack occurred around 10:45 a.m. A 59-year-old man who tried to intervene was shot by the attacker; both men were taken to a hospital, and Petersen died of his injuries while the good Samaritan survived after treatment for a gunshot wound.

Petersen served 30 years with the Stockton Police Department, mainly as a homicide detective, and later worked as an investigator for the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office until 2004. The suspect was identified as 59-year-old Rafael Watts and was taken into custody shortly after the incident. The motive remained unclear as the investigation continued.

Anyone who knew Petersen or who has information about the attack at Cortez Park is asked to come forward.