On September 14, 1971, Patrolman Richard McEvoy, 37, was shot while responding to a report of a suspicious man at a gas station on East Main Street in East Brookfield, Massachusetts. McEvoy, a U.S. Air Force Vietnam veteran who had served with the Spencer Police Department for four years, and the town’s police chief confronted the individual, who had escaped from a state mental hospital. The suspect opened fire, striking both officers, then took a woman hostage before being apprehended.

McEvoy survived the initial attack but was left paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. The shooter was sentenced to 36 to 40 years in prison and was released after serving about 10 years. McEvoy’s health steadily declined from his injuries, and he died of the effects of the shooting on the same day he was shot, September 14, 1971. He was survived by his wife.