Detective Russell Grower was shot and killed as he and two other detectives from separate agencies went to Soquel Canyon to investigate a gang of tire thieves. When a suspect answered the door he attempted to shut it on Detective Grower when he identified himself as a police officer. The suspect then shot Detective Grower in the head.
The suspect, an escapee from a mental hospital, was apprehended the next day. He was returned to a maximum security prison for the criminally insane.
Detective Grower was survived by his wife and three children.
