Kenneth M. Tomaszewski was a 24-year-old deputy with the Lorain County Sheriff’s Department in Ohio when he was shot and killed on July 3, 1979. The shooting followed a routine traffic stop: Tomaszewski pulled over a 15-year-old for a traffic violation, the youth could not provide proof of vehicle registration, and Tomaszewski followed the juvenile to his home to verify registration. After Tomaszewski used a phone inside the house to report his location, the juvenile went to another room, retrieved a .22 caliber rifle, and shot Tomaszewski in the chest. He died of his wounds despite efforts to survive.

The juvenile suspect was later convicted and committed to a juvenile detention center until his 21st birthday. Tomaszewski had served with the sheriff’s department for one year; his memorial is at Calvary Cemetery in Lorain, Ohio.