James Wayne MacDonald was 24 and serving as a reserve officer with the Compton Police Department when he was killed on February 22, 1993. He and Officer Kevin Michael Burrell were conducting a traffic stop at Rosecrans Avenue and Dwight Avenue in Compton when the driver of a red Chevrolet pickup exited and opened fire. Both officers were struck multiple times and died at the scene despite wearing bulletproof vests; reports describe them being shot at close range after falling to the ground.

The shooter was identified as Regis Deon Thomas, a member of the Bounty Hunter Bloods who was on parole. Thomas evaded capture initially, later surrendered through a television reporter, and was tried and convicted for the murders; he was sentenced to death. These were the first line-of-duty deaths in Compton Police Department history, and memorials and scholarships were established in their names.