DETECTIVE MIKE WALSH - THE EXECUTION OF JUSTICE

As a newly promoted Detective in the elite Robbery-Homicide Division of the Indianapolis Police Department, Mike Walsh also held the distinction of being the youngest ever appointed to the job. His mentor, Detective Sergeant Jack Lovell had also been his Field Training Officer his first day on Patrol, fresh out of the Police Academy. That was six years ago.



His promotion came on the heels of his heroic act, saving his wounded partner and talking a deranged man into releasing his five year old daughter, whom he held tightly, almost holding her as a shield, as he waved his .45 caliber automatic around wildly; pointing at the squadron of officers who had surrounded his home that frigid, snowy Christmas Eve. As he implored the subject into releasing his hostage-daughter, Walsh inched his way to his partner, Patrol Officer Brad Riccio, who lie wounded, twenty feet between Walsh and the deranged man.



This debut novel, first in a series based on true incidents takes the reader through the process of several cases, pretty routine for Robbery-Homicide Detectives. Then, a gang of robbers began their violent assault on the city. The gang became increasingly ruthless pulling off armed robberies of fast food restaurants, then moving up to a K-Mart where they shot and killed a Brinks Armored Guard. Seemingly untouchable, the gang began robbing local banks. At one bank robbery, they became embroiled in a shoot-out with an off-duty police officer, where one of the perpetrators was wounded by the officer. As sirens blared from responding police units, one of the gang returned to his partner in crime, and as his cohort pleaded fro help to escape, his friend put a bullet in his head. The gang escaped capture again. The only clues leading to the identity of the gang leaders would come from the dead robber.



As Sergeant Lovell and Detective Walsh dissected every piece of evidence from every robbery matching this lawless gang of killers, they still could not get any solid description or identities or even the number of members in this ruthless gang. From the first week of February to December 11th., the detectives began putting in sixteen and eighteen hours a day checking out leads, compiling profiles, demographics; scrutinizing every scrap of information.



Just before Thanksgiving, they hit pay dirt. They finally identified the four major leaders of the gang. Three were brothers. The detectives had solid evidence proving it was the oldest brother who shot his younger brother in the head at the bank robbery in August, telling him; "Ya' ain't no good to us now!" as he fired a .357 Magnum into his siblings brain.



On December 11th., Sergeant Jack Lovell and his partner, Detective Mike Walsh organized three teams of detectives to execute pre-dawn raids on three separate houses where information given to Lovell and Walsh assured the gang would be holed up.



At 4:45 A. M., Sergeant Lovell pounded on the door of one of the houses. He announced the police had the home surrounded. He could hear movement inside, but no verbal response. After several loud commands for all the occupants to come out with their hands in the air, Sergeant Lovell kicked in the door. It only opened about three inches. The men inside had moved a heavy sofa in front of the door. As Lovell yelled for the people to come out, a burst of gunfire erupted through the opening in the front door.



"OH GOD . . . I'VE BEEN HIT . . . GET HELP!" Lovell yelled.



Rapid gunfire came from inside the house. Lovell's team began returning fire. Walsh radioed for an Ambulance and the S. W. A. T. Team to respond.



A raging gun battle erupted, with Detective Sergeant Lovell's lifeless body sprawled on the front porch of the house for almost two and one half hours.



Police Officers yelled at the gang inside to surrender, using the loudspeaker on a patrol unit. After almost two hours, one of the men yelled there were women inside and "let's negotiate". From the police perspective, there was nothing to negotiate. Everyone on the street knew a great cop was dead.



To end the gun battle, the S.W.A.T. Team fired percussion grenades into the home. One landed on the sofa, setting it afire. As the Fire Department responded, two men and five women began emerging, their hands held high, as they chocked on the smoke they had inhaled. They jumped over the still body of Sergeant Lovell. One woman actually tripped over his body and fell face first on the cold, icy concrete step of the porch.



Several Police Officers rushed onto the porch to gently carry Sergeant Lovell to a waiting ambulance.



Captain Milton Osborne, Commander of the Robbery-Homicide Division had responded. He was told one of the gunmen was inside, wounded. Several officers rushed into the house and dragged him out. He appeared to be dead, but a Paramedic yelled he had a pulse. The medics went to work on saving his useless life.



The reader is taken through the aftermath of the murder of Sergeant Jack Lovell and the round-up of the gang of killers. Trials were held for the gang members, with each and every one being found guilty of a myriad of felony offenses and being sentenced to lengthy prison terms.



The two trigger men, the killers of Detective Sergeant Jack Lovell were each found guilty and each sentenced to death. It would take years before the death sentences would be carried out.