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Criminal Records - Most Wanted |
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Profile |
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Name: Unknown Stanek and Ayers Shooter
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Race: Black |
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Hair (Color, Description, Facial Hair): Black |
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Wanted for :
Aggravated Assault of a Police Officer (2 counts), Olive Branch, MS;
Jun 29, 2006
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Location(s) |
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Last Seen : Olive Branch, MS
Old Goodman Road in front of Porter's Paints. |
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Possible Location : Olive Branch, MS
Memphis, TN |
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Last Known : Unkown |
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Traits |
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Case Story |
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Big Dreams, Heavy Heart |
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Officer Doug Stanek wanted to be a cop ever since his police officer grandfather took him to visit the station when he was five. Unfortunately, he couldn't pass the physical requirements needed to become a cop because he was too heavy. Instead, he became a paramedic and worked on the ambulance for five years.
Unfortunately, his weight became difficult to manage on the ambulance as well. One day, Doug saw a study through the Mississippi Department of Vocational Rehabilitation that offered gastric bypass surgery. He was accepted into the program and on December 27, 2004, went under the knife.
Doug went from 375 pounds to 190, and was finally able to fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer. He was accepted into the Olive Branch Police Department in Olive Branch, Miss., passed the academy, and was put into the field training program under Officer Mark Ayers. Mark was very passionate about being a police officer, and had served the thin blue line almost half his life. He taught Doug one of the most important lessons of being a police officer- be alert. |
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A Harrowing Experience |
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On June 29, 2006, Doug had been on the force two weeks and was almost ready to switch to his next training officer. Mark and Doug were working the night shift, and were driving down Old Goodman Road a little after 4:30 a.m. when Doug saw a car idling on the side of the road. The Chrysler 300 had it's headlights off, and was parked in front of Porter's Paint Store, which had been burglarized recently.
Doug parked behind the vehicle and began calling the license plate number into dispatch when the car pulled away, then parked again further down the street. Doug pulled his car up once again and turned on his blue lights. Just as he was getting out of the car, dispatch called back saying the car was registered to a church and not stolen. Mark observed as Doug got out of the patrol car and walked up to the car.
The driver's face was in shadow as he looked straight ahead. Doug asked if everything was okay, and the driver told him that he was lost. Doug told him he would be glad to help, but needed to see his driver's license first. The man agreed and turned around to get his license.
Instead, he pulled out a 9mm handgun and shot Doug point blank in the chest. Luckily Doug had a bullet-proof vest on, but the impact was so great, he was blown backwards onto the ground. He turned and pulled himself to the back of the car. Mark instantly reached for his radio and gun and quickly stepped out of the patrol car. Cops believe the gunman got out of his car at the same time to finish Doug off. Instead, cops think the gunman saw Mark as a bigger threat and shot him instead before driving away. Mark was not wearing a bullet proof vest.
Doug shot at the car to stop the driver, but the car wove back and forth and did not stop. Looking over his shoulder, Doug saw Mark lying face down in the grass and ran to help him. He radioed for help, and saw that Mark had stopped breathing and had no pulse. Automatically, he reverted back to the job he had held when he couldn't be a police officer- paramedic. Using his emergency medical skills, he was able to resucitate Mark with CPR until the other emergency personel arrived and airlifted him to a Memphis hospital. Doug was taken by ambulance for the injuries he sustained under his vest.
An off-duty police officer spotted the gunman's car in a back parking lot near the crime scene, and called it into the police department. Seconds later, cops surrounded the car, but found the gunman had escaped on foot. Cops found out the car had been stolen in the early morning hours, but hadn't been reported yet. No clues found in the car gave any hint to the gunman's identity. |
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A Strong Will |
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When Mark awoke at the hospital, he couldn't feel his legs. The doctors told him one of the two bullets had injured his spine. Mark would be paralyzed for the rest of his life.
After going to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta for spinal cord injury treatment and therapy, Mark decided he didn't want to give up being a cop. After taking some time to recover, Mark went back to work as a police officer.
Doug and Mark have become bonded by this incident in a way they can't explain. Doug overcame his limitations to become a cop, and Mark is working on overcoming his to become a cop once again.
Cops don't know very much about the gunman, just that he is an African American male. Their only clue is the navy blue Chrysler 300 he was driving. The car was stolen from a house in Memphis, which is about a half hour drive from Olive Branch. Cops think the car was stolen between midnight and when the shooting happened. They are hoping someone might remember seeing the car, or know who was driving it, and submit their tip.
There is a $36,000 reward offered in Olive Branch for the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the shootings of Officers Doug Stanek and Mark Ayers. |
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