Officer Terry DeWitt Long

Terry DeWitt Long

Officer Terry Long succumbed to gunshot wounds he received on June 18, 1970, at 3705 Monterey Avenue in El Centro.

At 3:15 a.m., Officer Long and another officer were questioning a subject for public intoxication when they noticed several men with rifles drawn on them. After calling for backup, Officer Long walked across the street to investigate, hoping to sneak up behind them, when he was shot by a man hiding behind a parked car. Responding officers returned fire on the fleeing suspects, hitting one of the men.

Officer Long was pulled from the barrage of gunfire by Officer Tony Arceo, who died in the line of duty on July 9, 1974. Officer Long was transported to Arcadia Methodist Hospital, where he suffered a shattered vertebrae, paralyzing him from the waist down. He succumbed to complications from his wounds on August 22, 2004.

The shooter was convicted of assault with the intent to commit murder and served five years in prison before he was paroled.

Officer Long was a United States Navy veteran and had served with the El Monte Police Department for two years. He was survived by a son, two daughters, his mother, and six grandchildren.