Robert D. Melton was a Gardena Police Department officer who never fully recovered from gunshot wounds suffered on June 3, 1981. That day he and a partner were flagged down about a robbery near Compton Boulevard (now Gardena Boulevard) and Vermont Avenue after citizens reported an elderly man had been pushed into nearby bushes. As the officers approached, a male suspect emerged and opened fire with a rifle, critically wounding Officer Melton. His partner returned fire and killed the shooter. The robbery victim’s body was later found in the bushes about 50 yards from where Melton was shot.

Melton remained confined to a wheelchair after the shooting, his condition deteriorated over the years, and he was unable to undergo necessary heart surgery. He died on November 1, 2003, at age 61, with his death attributed to complications from the 1981 gunshot wounds. There were no further arrests or suspects in the shooting.