In the late hours of a Sunday in March 2017, 22-year-old Justin Terney of the Tecumseh Police Department stopped a vehicle. During the stop a male passenger, identified as Byron James Shepard, fled on foot. Officer Terney pursued; when his taser failed to stop Shepard, Shepard produced a firearm and shot Terney multiple times. Terney returned fire and struck Shepard. Both were taken to a local hospital. Terney underwent surgery but died of his wounds on March 27, 2017. He was in his first year with the department and also served as a volunteer firefighter.

The vehicle’s driver, Brooklyn Danielle Williams, was taken into custody. Shepard was charged with first-degree murder. Williams was later convicted of second-degree murder and received a 25-year prison sentence; Shepard was convicted and a jury recommended the death penalty, and he later died in prison. Does anyone have memories of Officer Terney or information about the stop that could help clarify what happened that night?