Deputy Sheriff Michael A. Gray, 40, was shot while on patrol in Felton, California, on January 3, 1983, and died of his wounds on January 13, 1983. He had stopped his patrol car to question a transient in front of a business at 5805 Highway 9 when the suspect, identified as Leslie Grover Wyman, approached the driver’s window and opened fire, striking Deputy Gray multiple times in the abdomen. Gray returned fire as the shooter walked away. A California Highway Patrol officer who answered Gray’s call for help was also wounded.

Wyman fled into Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park; his body was found several days later from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Gray had served eight years with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, was a Vietnam War veteran, and left a wife, a six-year-old son, parents, and a brother. Reports note Wyman had a history of mental illness and that his family had sought help for him beforehand. If anyone knew Deputy Gray, the events that day, or has information about the shooting, please share what is known.