Memorial to David H. Rose
End of Watch: February 20, 1971
Rank: Officer Badge No. 3549
Age: 23 Years of Service: 9 months
Location of Death: Montgomery County, MD
Duty Assignment: Second District
Circumstance:
Officer Rose was involved in a pursuit of a vehicle that was involved in a robbery in the city and there were several hostages inside the suspect’s vehicle. The vehicle was stopped on the Beltway near the University Blvd overpass. Officer Rose was struggling with the suspect and a Montgomery County Officer (Robert Freeman) responded to assist Officer Rose. The Montgomery Co. PD Officer had his service pistol out and while struggling with the suspect, the Montgomery County PD Officer’s gun accidently discharged, striking Officer Rose and killing him.
Biography:
Officer Rose had nine months with the Metropolitan Police Department. He was married and his wife was expecting their first child.
Articles from the Washington Post – transcribed by Dave Richardson, MPD/Ret.
THE DEATH OF OFFICER DAVID H. ROSE ON FEBRUARY 20, 1971
WASHINGTON POST ARTICLE DATED FEBRUARY 22, 1971, PAGE A1
Officer Slain After Chase Was Victim of Police Bullet
22 year old District policeman shot to death Saturday night while attempting to subdue a kidnap suspect was killed inadvertently by a Montgomery County policeman, county officials said yesterday.
The dead policeman was identified as David H. Rose, a member of the District force for nine months. According to police, his wife is pregnant.
The Montgomery County policeman, Pvt. Robert Freeman, 24, was placed on administrative leave pending further investigation by county police. Freeman has been with the county police for 22 months.
Both policemen had joined in a chase following an attempted armed holdup in the District. The case included several exchanges of gunfire, an automobile accident and the kidnaping of four persons.
According to Victor Holm, a spokesman for the county, Rose struggled with the suspect, Larry Monroe Austin, 24, after the car in which Austin was riding with three persons alleged to be his hostages was stopped by police on the Capital Beltway, near the University Boulevard overpass.
Freeman went to Rose’s aid with his gun drawn, according to Holm, and during the struggle the .38 caliber revolver discharged. Three other policemen were also at the scene.
Holm said Freeman told police his armed was grabbed during the fight. The bullet struck Rose in the chin, ricocheted off his jaw bone, severed an artery in his neck and lodged in his spinal cord, an autopsy showed.
The incident occurred at about 10:15 p.m. Saturday. Rose was pronounced dead at Washington Sanitarium and Hospital about an hour later.
The county police superintendent, Col. James S. McAuliffe, could not be reached for comments yesterday.
In recent incidents of shooting by county police, McAuliffe has referred the cases to the grand jury.
For two months, the grand jury has been reviewing police policies on the use of firearms.
Austin, of 6833 Eastern Ave. NW, was taken into custody at the scene of the shooting. Police said he was treated for a bullet wound in the upper arm that they said he received during an earlier exchange of gunfire with police in the District. He was charged with kidnaping and being held without bond yesterday pending a hearing in People’s Court today.
The incident that led to Rose’s death began shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday when, police said, a man attempted to hold up the owner of a District liquor store who was making a night deposit at the National Bank of Washington, 5701 Connecticut Ave. NW. Richard L. Futrovsky, of Silver Spring, owner of Sir Liquors, 4451 Connecticut Ave. NW, said yesterday he was leaving his car, parked in the bank’s driveway, when an armed man approached him and told him to get back into the car. Futrovsky said he offered the man the money, but he said, “We have other things planned for you.”
The man forced Futrovsky to the passenger’s side of the front seat at gunpoint and then attempted to back the car out of the driveway, police said.
Collision
(The following paragraph was very hard to read and may not be exactly as written.)
District police said the car struck another vehicle in the northbound lane of Connecticut Avenue, attracting the attention of District officer Stephen L. Finck, who had just pulled a motorist over in the 5700 Connecticut Ave, turned to see Futrovsky’s blue station wagon turn onto Northampton Street and Futnovsky fall out of the passenger side, police said.
According to District police, Futrovsky jumped up and yelled to Finck, “This man tried to hold me up and he’s armed.”
The suspect sped off in Futrovsky’s car, police said, and Finck followed. Finck found Futrovsky’s car abandoned on 39th Street, just south of Northampton, police said.
Finck returned to Futrovsky and as they were talking, police said, the suspect was spotted standing between two parked cars.
Shots Exchanged
Finck chased him on foot down 39th Street and several shots were exchanged, police said. At this point two other policemen, Arthur W. Young and Jarrett O. Crawford, arrived in a squad car and joined the chase. More shots were exchanged, police said.
The chase led to a parking lot at the rear of a People’s Drug Store, at Connecticut Avenue and McKinley Street NW, where, police said, the suspect jumped into a car occupied by Winifred J. Lee, 4814 41st St. NW, Linda M. Kennedy, of 2503 Ross Rd., Silver Spring, and Frank G. Carmen, of 3208 Oliver St. NW.
As the suspect forced Carmen to drive off, police said. Rose and his partner, Robert E. Fisher, arrived at the scene, were given a description of the car and, joined by Crawford, gave pursuit.
Police said the high speed chase went east on McKinley, north on Broad Branch Road, and west on Western Avenue and then north on Connecticut to the beltway.
As the cars crossed the Montgomery line, county police joined in the chase. Montgomery police they pulled the car off the Beltway and in the ensuing struggle Rose was killed. The incident lasted about 25 minutes.
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NO RECORD HAS BEEN FOUND CONCERNING HOW THE COURT SYSTEM DEALT WITH THE SUSPECT, LARRY MONROE AUSTIN.