On March 4th, 1974, Dayton Police Sergeant William K. Mortimer was at the scene of an armed standoff when he suffered critical injuries from getting shot.

He and other officers were at an apartment where two men suspected of robbing a jewelry store and shooting a witness had barricaded themselves. That’s when he saw two young girls standing outside a nearby apartment door, and without hesitation, he ran to take them out of the line of fire. But just after he got them back inside one of the men suddenly emerged firing a handgun, and hit Sergeant Mortimer in the face. Fellow officers returned fire and hit the suspect.

William died of his injuries at the scene. The wounded 18-year old shooter—who had also killed the robbery witness—survived but was sentenced to life.

Sergeant Mortimer was 44 years old at the time of his death, and had served with the Dayton Police Department for 22 years. He was survived by his wife, two sons, mother, two sisters, and three brothers.

William was known for being uncompromisingly honest, thoughtful, and understanding, and for always going out of his way to help. He was very popular, and had headed up the detective and narcotics squads before joining the chief’s office. As a strong advocate for education, he had helped found Sinclair Community College’s law enforcement program, where he had also taught. In a related tragedy, his brother—Dayton Police Sergeant Paul Mortimer—had also died in the line of duty nearly four years earlier.