Charles D. Burdsall was 29 and a Cincinnati Police Division officer when he was killed on July 15, 1978, while on duty. A Vietnam veteran who had served more than five years with the department, he had been recognized for investigative work and aggressive patrol tactics. He stopped a vehicle on West McMicken Avenue that he suspected in an armed convenience-store robbery; as he approached, one of the suspects shot him repeatedly, striking him in the mouth, back and side. As he fell he said 508 – 508, referencing a car number.

A 19-year-old member of a citizen’s crime watch, David Mellon, was riding with Burdsall. Mellon left the cruiser, retrieved Burdsall’s service weapon and fired at the fleeing car, and was shot in the back but survived. Two suspects, Wayne Reed and Russell Bell, were arrested and charged with Burdsall’s murder and the attempted murder of Mellon. Both received life terms after Reed’s death sentence was later commuted. Burdsall is survived by his wife, three children, parents, three brothers and a sister; his brother Donald also served with the Cincinnati Police Division.

If anyone knew Officer Burdsall, the suspects, or witnessed the stop on West McMicken Avenue, what details can be shared to help preserve his story?