Duty Death: Kevin “Gale” Stauffer - [Tupelo]
End of Service: 23/12/2013
By Police1 Staff
TUPELO, Miss. — Two or three bank robbery suspects opened fire on two responding officers at a bank Monday afternoon, killing one officer and wounding the other.
Tupelo Police Cpl. Kevin “Gale” Stauffer, 38, was shot dead and his unidentified 26-year-old partner was wounded, according to USA Today.
“This is a day that no family, no law enforcement agency or city wants to endure,” Mayor Jason Shelton said.
Police did not say how much was taken from the Bancorp South Gloster Creek Village branch, what type of weapons the gunmen used or how many shots were fired.
One witness said at least one officer was shot in the head, according to the report.
Authorities offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the suspects’ capture. They were looking for a white Yukon SUV that fled the scene. The FBI has joined the investigation.
Corporal Stauffer was a combat veteran of the Louisiana Army National Guard. He had served with the Tupelo Police Department for eight years and had previously served with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office for one year, according to ODMP.