The Real Table Discussion

Jessica heard the term ‘shootout’ when they were talking sitting at the table. Yes, there was a shootout, something bad did really happen. But not in the restaurant but somewhere else. The policemen were talking in such a low voice because they were sad about it. Something grave happened that day during the shootout. And Jessica found out when she went up to them and asked herself about the matter. After hearing it she did the most unbelievable thing one could do. What did she do?

The Incident

On April 10, 2016, the state capital was literally struggling to catch the man who was suspected of being related to an arson blaze. The arson blaze incident happened the previous day. The police were quick enough to follow the lead which landed them to this guy’s front door. The SWAT time surrounded his house. The team confronted him to surrender without any harm but he was stubborn and then they did what they had to but then something unfortunate happened that shocked the whole department.

Officer Steve Smith

The suspect, Lincoln Rutledge, 44, was suspected of being involved in an arson blaze. He was hiding inside the building and even after several hours of talking he refused to surrender. He began shooting at the armored SWAT vehicle which was parked outside the building. And during that shootout Officer Steve Smith was hit. He was rushed to the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. His condition was critical…

In Tears

Jessica was listening to it like an innocent child. Tears rolling down her eyes, the weird feeling was back. As we already told you that she was the daughter of a retired policeman who has spent half of his life being an officer in Blendon Township. Somehow she could connect to the group of policemen. She was able to comprehend their pain and sorrow. But what happened to Officer Steve Smith?

After The Shootout

Officer Smith was admitted to the hospital. The doctor told that on this initial stage they can’t tell much but his condition was critical and they would try their best. Two days later, Officer Smith was pronounced dead. He was the 54th member of the Columbus police force who passed away in the line of duty. Coincidentally, he was also 54 years old when he passed away.

The Ceremony

Officer Smith was buried on April 19. His funeral took place in Westerville. The ground was filled with hundreds of uniformed cops. Some were from his department and some were from a different department. They all came together to pay their respect to the brave officer who did his duty with all his heart. The fallen hero was honored with a bagpiper, riderless horse, chopper flying above the burial ground, and gun salute.