On the evening of August 16, 1979, Deputy City Marshal Charles H. Baker, 52, was fatally shot in the 10200 block of Silvercrest Street in Houston, Texas. Baker, a four-year veteran of the Houston City Marshal’s Office, and his partner R.A. McCammon had stopped a young man they believed matched a suspect description; the man reportedly appeared nervous and had pockets stuffed with bills and change. A struggle followed and the suspect produced a handgun, shooting Baker in the chest and right leg at point-blank range. Baker fell and died at the scene while McCammon exchanged gunfire before the suspect fled.

The suspect escaped initially but was apprehended four days later in Kentucky with an untreated bullet wound. He was extradited to Texas, convicted of capital murder, and executed in 1986; the suspect’s name was not disclosed. Marshal Baker was survived by his wife and son and is buried at Copeland Chapel Cemetery in Conroe, Texas.

Are there any readers who remember that area of Silvercrest Street in 1979 or have details about the events that evening?