MOD 1
12-13-2009, 04:25 PM
From the Tallahassee Democrat
An officer was struck and killed by a suspected hit-and-run driver Saturday as he was going for his morning walk before work at the Tallahassee Police Department.
Officers later in the day arrested a man on charges of vehicular homicide and leaving the scene in the death of Officer Michael P. Saunders.
Saunders, 50, had worked for TPD since January 1983, said Danny Jeter, a spokesman for TPD. His death shocked the department family and the law-enforcement community.
"The world kind of stops when you get that kind of news," said TPD Chief Dennis Jones in an interview. "At first, it's disbelief, and then it turns to anger, especially when you find out someone left somebody in the middle of the road to die. That's just the emotional roller coaster you go on."
Officers were called about 4:50 a.m. to Paul Dirac Drive just north of West Orange Avenue after a passer-by spotted a man motionless in the roadway. Officers arrived and found the man dead and debris strewn across the area. It wasn't until a little later in the morning that officers realized the victim was one of their own, Chief Jones said.
The debris pointed to a large, white Chevrolet, possibly a truck or SUV, with extensive front-end damage.
Over the course of the investigation, the suspect vehicle, a 2005 Chevrolet van, was found, and the suspected driver was identified as Guy Jones, 22, of Tallahassee. Details on where and how the vehicle was found were not released.
Investigators with TPD joined with members of the U.S. Marshals Service, the Wakulla County Sheriff's Office and the Florida State University Police Department in trying to find Guy Jones.
Meanwhile, the suspect got in touch with his minister, who contacted Wakulla County Sheriff David Harvey. Harvey then called Chief Jones. Guy Jones turned himself in to Wakulla deputies. TPD officers planned to take him to the Leon County Jail.
Jeter said Saunders was not in uniform or on duty at the time.
"He normally takes a brisk walk in the mornings before he goes to work," Jeter said. "And we believe he was walking when he was struck by the vehicle."
Saunders is survived by his wife, Martha, who retired last year after working 30 years in communications and property and evidence at TPD. Services are still being planned.
Chief Jones said Saunders had been assigned over the past year to the northern patrol district, working the day shift. Before that, he had worked for years as an officer at Tallahassee Regional Airport.
"He was kind of the face of Tallahassee when people were flying in and out of town," Chief Jones said. "He was just a great guy — always had a smile on his face."
Jeter called the death "horrible."
"We are grieving as a police family and saddened for Officer Saunders' family," Jeter said. "With that being said, we have victim's advocates and police chaplains assisting the department members and Officer Saunders' family."
An officer was struck and killed by a suspected hit-and-run driver Saturday as he was going for his morning walk before work at the Tallahassee Police Department.
Officers later in the day arrested a man on charges of vehicular homicide and leaving the scene in the death of Officer Michael P. Saunders.
Saunders, 50, had worked for TPD since January 1983, said Danny Jeter, a spokesman for TPD. His death shocked the department family and the law-enforcement community.
"The world kind of stops when you get that kind of news," said TPD Chief Dennis Jones in an interview. "At first, it's disbelief, and then it turns to anger, especially when you find out someone left somebody in the middle of the road to die. That's just the emotional roller coaster you go on."
Officers were called about 4:50 a.m. to Paul Dirac Drive just north of West Orange Avenue after a passer-by spotted a man motionless in the roadway. Officers arrived and found the man dead and debris strewn across the area. It wasn't until a little later in the morning that officers realized the victim was one of their own, Chief Jones said.
The debris pointed to a large, white Chevrolet, possibly a truck or SUV, with extensive front-end damage.
Over the course of the investigation, the suspect vehicle, a 2005 Chevrolet van, was found, and the suspected driver was identified as Guy Jones, 22, of Tallahassee. Details on where and how the vehicle was found were not released.
Investigators with TPD joined with members of the U.S. Marshals Service, the Wakulla County Sheriff's Office and the Florida State University Police Department in trying to find Guy Jones.
Meanwhile, the suspect got in touch with his minister, who contacted Wakulla County Sheriff David Harvey. Harvey then called Chief Jones. Guy Jones turned himself in to Wakulla deputies. TPD officers planned to take him to the Leon County Jail.
Jeter said Saunders was not in uniform or on duty at the time.
"He normally takes a brisk walk in the mornings before he goes to work," Jeter said. "And we believe he was walking when he was struck by the vehicle."
Saunders is survived by his wife, Martha, who retired last year after working 30 years in communications and property and evidence at TPD. Services are still being planned.
Chief Jones said Saunders had been assigned over the past year to the northern patrol district, working the day shift. Before that, he had worked for years as an officer at Tallahassee Regional Airport.
"He was kind of the face of Tallahassee when people were flying in and out of town," Chief Jones said. "He was just a great guy — always had a smile on his face."
Jeter called the death "horrible."
"We are grieving as a police family and saddened for Officer Saunders' family," Jeter said. "With that being said, we have victim's advocates and police chaplains assisting the department members and Officer Saunders' family."