Jones not first local deputy to die in the line of duty

Monday's fatal shooting of a Bowie County Sheriff's deputy is, unfortunately, not the first time an officer from that agency has been killed in the line of duty.

Bowie County Deputy Michael Page, 34, was shot and killed June 30, 2007, north of New Boston, Texas, during the pursuit of a suspect.

Page was the first Bowie County deputy killed in the line of duty since the 1960s.

The man who shot him, Henry Wakefield, 36, of DeKalb, Texas, committed suicide the same morning in the woods near New Boston.

Page's death was a shock to his fellow officers and the entire community.

"It's a tough time," said Sheriff James Prince on the day of Page's funeral. Prince said many officers are struggling with why Page's death had to happen.

"We will never know why," he said.

Page had been an officer with the Bowie County Sheriff's Office for about three years. Before he was with the sheriff 's department, he spent about five years as a patrol officer for the Texarkana, Texas, Police Department.

There is more information on Page on the Officer Down Website, odmp.org.

Shelly Page-Gill, Michael Page's sister, remembers her family felt isolated and alone after the loss of Michael. They didn't know anybody else who had lost a police officer and family member in such a violent way.

"There were times we thought we were going insane," Page-Gill said. "We also felt so alone."

As a result of their experience, Page-Gill founded a Northeast Texas chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors.

The national, nonprofit organization has a membership of more than 15,000 families. Page-Gill said unfortunately that number continues to grow as 140 to 160 law enforcement officers are killed every year in the line of duty.

Page-Gill learned of the organization in May 2008-11 months after her brother's death-when she and her family attended National Police Week in Washington, D.C.

The local chapter has about 110 members and will serve law enforcement survivors in 30 Northeast Texas counties including Bowie, Cass, Titus and Morris.

The chapter's purpose is to provide strong peer support at the grass-roots level and financially assist newly bereaved law enforcement families to attend grief retreats provided by the C.O.P.S. organization. C.O.P.S. depends on its chapters to be available locally when an officer is killed in the line of duty, responding shortly after the tragedy, attending wakes and funerals, meeting with surviving family members and being available to answer questions about the issues that often arise with a sudden, violent death.

Page-Gill said Monday that she was waiting to learn the deputy's family had been notified and she would then offer her support.

"It just breaks my heart that this has happened," Page-Gill said. "It's so hard and painful for the family."

She encourages anyone who has lost a loved one in the line of police duty to reach out to others who have also experienced the loss.

"It makes a difference. Because they know what you are going through," she said. "You can tell by looking in their eyes that they have been there too."

For more information, contact Page-Gill at 903-792-3018 or [email protected] or visit nationalcops.org.

On Feb. 24, 2000, Bowie County Deputy Bobby Dupree was shot twice, once in the arm and once in the abdomen, while making a traffic stop on Interstate 30 near New Boston.

Dupree, a K-9 officer for the sheriff's office, remained conscious and radioed for help. Though one bullet pierced his liver, he survived the ordeal.

The suspect, Vincent Ross Naseem, of Ohio, fled the scene and led officers on a high-speed chase that ended in Foreman, Ark.

He was finally stopped when officers shot out his tires.



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