On January 7, 2006, 38-year-old Officer Richard Allen May Jr. of the East Palo Alto Police Department was shot and killed while responding to a disturbance at University Avenue and Weeks Street. He and a law enforcement Explorer who was on a ride-along had arrived to find several men fighting. As Officer May pursued a man who fled, the suspect turned and opened fire with a semi-automatic handgun. Officer May returned fire and wounded the suspect in the leg but was mortally wounded in the exchange.

The suspect, identified as 23-year-old Alberto Alvarez, a known gang member on parole for prior drug and weapons convictions, fled but was taken into custody later that night. Officer May was a United States Marine Corps veteran who had served in Operation Desert Storm, had been with East Palo Alto for 18 months after 13 years with the Lompoc Police Department, and is survived by his wife and three daughters. The ride-along Explorer, aged 14, was unharmed and made the initial radio call that helped lead to the arrest.

Are there witnesses or community members who remember that day or who can share anything about Officer May’s work in East Palo Alto?