On December 2, 1977, off-duty Douglas County Deputy Sheriff Charles Edward Dobbertin, 41, confronted a man he saw acting suspiciously near a delivery truck near downtown Omaha, Nebraska. The encounter turned violent when the suspect struck Dobbertin in the face with a radio antenna, took his service revolver, and shot him. Dobbertin was taken to Lutheran Hospital, underwent surgery and multiple transfusions, and died of his wounds on December 6, 1977.

Dobbertin had seven years with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department and helped form the Douglas County Sheriff Boat Patrol, a volunteer unit that assisted boaters and handled rescues. He is survived by his wife and three daughters. The suspect was arrested, convicted of murder, and given a life sentence. Memorials and scholarships have been created in his name.