On the morning of January 2, 1996, Philadelphia Police Officer Lauretha Arnetha Vaird, 43, responded to a silent alarm at a PNC Bank in the Feltonville neighborhood. A nine-year veteran and a single mother of two sons, she was the first officer to enter during an active, violent robbery and was shot in the abdomen. Although wearing a bulletproof vest, the protective panels were not inside, and the single gunshot wound proved fatal; she died after being transported to a local hospital. This was the first time a female police officer was killed in the line of duty in Philadelphia.

The robbery was carried out by three men: Christopher Roney (known as Cool C), Warren McGlone (known as Steady B), and Mark Canty. Roney stood guard while the other two attempted to access the vault; Roney fired the fatal shot as Vaird entered. The trio fled in a stolen minivan; another officer exchanged gunfire with Roney before the suspects escaped.

Warren McGlone and Mark Canty were convicted and given life sentences without parole. Christopher Roney was convicted of first-degree murder, robbery, and other charges and was sentenced to death on November 1, 1996, with stays of execution issued in subsequent years. Does anyone have memories of Officer Vaird or information that could shed more light on the morning of January 2, 1996?