On the early morning of September 25, 1992, 53-year-old Minneapolis police sergeant Jerome Victor Haaf stopped for a coffee break at the Pizza Shack on Lake Street near the end of his overnight shift. While reading a newspaper at a table, two assailants entered and fired multiple shots into his back in what is described as an execution-style killing. Haaf radioed for help, saying an officer was down, and a fellow patron at the table was also wounded. Haaf later died at Hennepin County Medical Center; he had been months away from planned retirement.

Investigators tied the slaying to members of the Vice Lords street gang and assembled a multi-agency task force. The inquiry reportedly identified the two shooters and linked the attack to an order from gang leadership to kill a police officer. The case drew intense local attention and is remembered for its impact on the law enforcement community.

Does anyone have memories of Haaf, the Pizza Shack that morning, or information that could add to the record?