On the late afternoon of March 26, 1999, Phoenix Police Officer Marc Todd Atkinson, 28, was shot and killed while investigating a suspicious white Lincoln Continental in the Maryvale precinct. A five-year veteran and former U.S. Marine, Atkinson had followed the vehicle alone after his backup was called away. Near 30th Avenue and Catalina Drive the Lincoln stopped and the occupants opened fire; Atkinson was struck twice in the head by .357-caliber bullets and his patrol car struck a telephone pole. He was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, where he later died.

A 27-year-old security guard, Rory Vertigan, witnessed the shooting, shot and wounded the primary gunman, then disarmed him and went to Atkinson’s aid. Minutes later, with civilians tracking one fleeing passenger by cell phone, police apprehended three suspects: 17-year-old Felipe Petrona-Cabana and two men identified as Oscar Garcia-Martinez and Oberlin Cabanas-Salgado. Petrona-Cabana was charged with first-degree murder; the other two faced weapons-related charges. Atkinson was survived by his wife and their six-month-old son.

Are there readers who remember the Maryvale area that day or who have any information about this case?