Deputy Sheriff Richard Anthony Herzog, 46, was killed on June 22, 2002, in Newcastle, Washington, while responding to a disturbance on Coal Creek Parkway involving a naked man. Herzog attempted to subdue the man with pepper spray, which had no effect. The suspect, identified as Ronald Keith Matthews, struggled with Herzog, knocked Herzog’s service .40 caliber Glock to the ground, picked it up, reinserted the magazine and shot Herzog once; after Herzog fell, Matthews stood over him and fired ten more times before fleeing to a nearby apartment.

Matthews, who had a record of felony convictions including assault, check fraud, weapons violations, malicious mischief and drug offenses, had been released from jail 11 days earlier after serving several months for assaulting a police officer. He was apprehended about 45 minutes after the shooting, charged with aggravated first-degree murder, convicted on August 19, 2004, and sentenced on September 23, 2004, to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Herzog had served seven years with the King County Sheriff’s Office and was a United States Army veteran of 20 years in the Army Special Forces; he was survived by his wife and two teenage daughters.

The killing drew broad community and law enforcement mourning and memorials. Did anyone in the Newcastle area have information about the events that night or memories of Deputy Herzog to share?