John Shields

How they died

Deadly force

A partially disabled veteran, angry with the drug dealing in his neighborhood and with "some degree of mental or emotional illness," encountered police when they were called to reports of shots fired in his neighborhood. At 3:30 a.m., a SWAT force entered his house, performed a room-to-room sweep, Shields raised his weapon when discovered, and he was shot to death.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that John Shields, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources