On the night of February 29, 1976, Salem, Virginia police Officer Ira Russell Mack McCurry, 36, was killed during a stakeout at a motel that had been targeted in a series of car thefts. McCurry, a Vietnam War veteran who had served in the U.S. Navy, was part of a group of officers who moved to apprehend three individuals after observing suspicious activity. A 17-year-old suspect produced a pistol and shot McCurry in the chest; the wound proved fatal despite efforts at the scene.

Two 17-year-old juveniles and a 23-year-old adult were arrested and charged in connection with Patrolman McCurry’s death. The juvenile who fired the shot was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 16 years, and McCurry was survived by his wife and two teenage daughters.

Did anyone in the community at the time know about the motel stakeout or the suspects involved?