Patrolman Harry Keith Tiffany, 32, of the San Diego Police Department was killed on June 6, 1981, in San Diego while responding to a neighborhood dispute on Crandell Street. Tiffany and his partner, Patrolman Ronald Ebeltoft, had gone to separate neighbors’ homes after an assault connected to an argument over the placement of a rose bush. As the officers stood outside the suspect’s house, the man opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle and both officers were fatally shot.

The suspect was shot and killed by a SWAT sniper at the scene, so no arrests or subsequent prosecutions followed. Tiffany was a U.S. Navy veteran who had served two years with the San Diego Police Department and previously worked with the Port of San Diego Harbor Police; he was survived by his wife. The incident prompted community mourning and discussions about officer safety when handling volatile domestic disputes.

Did anyone in the neighborhood at the time notice tensions between these neighbors or see anything relevant that day?