In Memory of Dan Walters

San Diego Police Officer Dan Walters, 53, died April 23rd when he succumbed to complications of a gunshot wound sustained on November 12, 2003.

Officer Walters and his partner were backing up another officer who had stopped to investigate a vehicle parked in the travel lanes with a male subject standing nearby. The man immediately pointed a gun at the officer, causing him to seek cover. Officer Walters and his partner confronted the man who shot his .357 handgun, hitting Officer Walters’ in the neck and causing him to fall into the roadway. Walter’s partner then shot and killed the suspect.

A passing vehicle inadvertently struck Officer Walters, causing additional injuries. He was transported to a local hospital where it was determined that he had become paralyzed from the neck down.

It was later determined that the man who shot Officer Walters was involved in a violent domestic incident when the first officer encountered him.

Officer Walters remained paralyzed and died from complications from the original injuries.

Before serving as a police officer, Walters played Major League Baseball and was drafted by the Houston Astros in 1984. He was traded to the San Diego Padres as catcher in 1989 and retired from the sport in 1993.

He joined the San Diego Police Department in 1998 and had served for 5 years at the time he was shot in 2003. Walters was adopted and both his parents have died. He’s survived by his sister, Trisha Turner.