Nathaniel K. Broom was a 23-year-old Miami Police Department officer killed on September 2, 1981, during a foot pursuit after a traffic stop near NW 2nd Avenue and NW 11th Street in Miami, Florida. He and his partner had been heading to the radio shop to replace a defective radio when they saw a car going the wrong way on a one-way street. The vehicle stopped, three people fled, and Officer Broom stopped his patrol car in a way that prevented his partner from exiting. Broom chased one suspect on foot; as he rounded a building corner the suspect shot him in the chest, killing him instantly. The partner could not call for backup because of the faulty radio.

Fingerprints on the vehicle led to the suspect’s arrest two days later. The suspect was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death on March 4, 1982; the case left a lasting impact on the department and community.