On June 16, 1973, Sergeant Jimmie Hugh Rutledge, 50, of the Berkeley Police Department was killed while responding to reports of a prowler in the 2200 block of Russell Street in Berkeley, California. Rutledge, a 23-year department veteran and a World War II and Korean War veteran, struggled with a suspect who gained control of his service weapon and shot him with it.

After killing Rutledge, the suspect took hostages in a nearby home and fatally shot a four-year-old girl. The standoff ended when other officers arrived and shot and killed the suspect. Rutledge was survived by two daughters and a son; his death was widely mourned by colleagues and the community.

Are there readers who remember that night on Russell Street or who can share memories of Sergeant Rutledge’s service?