Roosevelt Ferrell was a 51-year-old police officer with the Compton Unified School District Police Department who died after being shot on March 9, 1987. Officer Ferrell was on foot patrol at a school when, after ordering a group of youths off campus for trespassing, he was ambushed and shot in the leg by a sniper. His wound was initially thought to be minor, but complications during surgery at Dominguez Valley Hospital led to cardiac arrest and his death on March 16, 1987.

A 16-year-old boy who had been among the youths removed from the grounds was arrested and charged in connection with the shooting. Officer Ferrell was survived by his wife and children; the department and the broader law enforcement community publicly mourned his loss and paid tribute to his service.

If anyone knew Officer Ferrell, witnessed the March 9 incident, or has information about those events, please share what is known.