Detective Gerald A. Rauft of the Tampa Police Department was killed on July 24, 1981, during an undercover buy of 100 pounds of marijuana at a small block house at 1410 E. 29th Avenue in Tampa, Florida. A shootout during the transaction left Detective Rauft fatally wounded; his partner, Officer Robert Ulricksen, was seriously injured but survived.

Four suspects were arrested after the shooting. The primary shooter, a 28-year-old man, was initially found mentally incompetent to stand trial and committed to a mental institution. He was later deemed competent, convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death; that sentence was eventually commuted to life in prison. The shooter died while incarcerated on May 30, 2020.

Detective Rauft had served eight years with the department and is survived by his wife and two daughters. Does anyone have memories of Rauft or information about the case that could add context to what happened that day?