Ambrose Edward Griffin, a 51-year-old engineer and father of two, was shot and killed on December 29, 1977, in front of his home in Sacramento, California. He had been helping his wife unload groceries when he suddenly collapsed; his wife initially thought he had suffered a heart attack until it was discovered he had been shot in a random drive-by attack. Neighbors at first mistook the sound of gunfire for other noises.

Investigators found two spent shell casings near the Griffin residence the following day that were linked to the .22-caliber weapon used in the shooting. Witnesses reported seeing a suspicious man with a rifle in the neighborhood, and a 12-year-old later recalled under hypnosis that a man with brown hair had fired from a brown Pontiac Trans Am. Police also linked a shot fired into a nearby home two days before the murder to the same weapon, establishing a pattern in the area.

The killing of Ambrose Griffin remains a stark example of seemingly random violence. Anyone who knew the family, saw activity around the Griffin home in late December 1977, or has information about the brown Pontiac Trans Am is asked to come forward.