On the night of December 23, 1981, Officer John Machajewski, 24, was killed while responding to an armed robbery at Alfred’s House of Bourbon in Milwaukee. He and Officer Charles S. Mehlberg arrived as the robber was fleeing; a foot pursuit led into an alley behind 210 West Brown Street where the fleeing man ambushed the officers. Both were shot in the head; Machajewski was mortally wounded and died at the scene according to department memorial records, while contemporaneous reports said he died about two hours after the shooting.

Mehlberg was critically wounded and later died that day. The shooter, identified as 19-year-old Robert Lee Collins, fled with Mehlberg’s .38 service revolver but was captured without further violence about 45 minutes later after entering a residence on West Lloyd Street and surrendering to police. Machajewski had served roughly three and a half years with the Milwaukee Police Department and was married; his wife was three months pregnant at the time.

Does anyone have further details about Machajewski’s service, the department’s response, or memories of that night?