Jesse Joe Bo Hittson, a 27-year-old patrolman with the Yreka Police Department, was killed on July 17, 1978, in Yreka, California. He had been called back on duty to help apprehend suspects in a brawl and robbery at a local liquor store and bar. Five youths fled, leading officers on a pursuit along State Route 263 toward the Rocky Gulch area, where the suspects opened fire. A fierce exchange of more than 100 rounds followed; Hittson was fatally shot in the chest by a .22 caliber rifle and a California Highway Patrolman was wounded before the suspects surrendered.

Legal proceedings after the shooting were complex: the shooter was initially sentenced to death but was later acquitted at retrial; the shooter’s sister received a life sentence; the other three suspects were convicted of second-degree murder. Hittson was also known locally as a race car driver and a mentor to youth, and his death deeply affected the Yreka community and fellow officers.