Police Officer Robert R. Birdsall

Robert R. Birdsall

Police Officer Robert Birdsall was shot and killed while searching for a suspect wanted for armed robbery, kidnapping, attempted sexual assault, and attempted murder.

Officer Birdsall and his partner responded to the call of a female who had been kidnapped but managed to escape. While searching for the suspect, Officer Birdsall was investigating dogs barking in the field near 23rd Street and Orange Avenue in the city of Signal Hill shortly before midnight. The suspect jumped out of his hiding spot and fired multiple shots, striking Officer Birdsall in the chest. Officer Birdsall was able to return fire at the fleeing suspect before falling. Officer Birdsall was transported to St. Mary's Hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds.

The suspect was apprehended a few hours later after exchanging several shots with other officers. The man, 24, an unemployed transient with a criminal record, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death on May 5th, 1976. His sentence was later commuted to life. He was denied parole in 1996.

Officer Birdsall was a United States Air Force veteran and had served with the Long Beach Police Department for 13 years. He was survived by his wife, three sons, and a daughter. One of his sons became a Long Beach Police Officer. On October 15, 1996, he got to see his father's killer face-to-face for the first time and speak his peace to him and the parole board. His parole was denied.