Sergeant James E. Richardson, Jr., Atlanta Police Department, Georgia

Sergeant James E. Richardson, Jr.

Atlanta Police Department, Georgia

End of Watch Saturday, July 19, 1980

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James E. Richardson, Jr.

Sergeant James Richardson was shot and killed during a traffic stop at McDaniel and Peters Streets.

Sergeant Richardson, while undercover driving an unmarked car, had stopped the vehicle after witnessing the two occupants harassing a female gas station attendant.

After stopping the vehicle he spoke to the driver who had gotten out and as he returned to his car to run his license, the passenger got out and shot him. This was witnessed by the patrons of a restaurant across the street from where the stop occurred.

The vehicle they were driving was stolen from a couple they had abducted and robbed. The couple escaped, but not before being fired upon.

The shooter was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Sergeant Richardson was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War. He had served with the Atlanta Police Department for 10 years and was survived by his wife and daughter.

Bio

Age 34
Tour 10 years
Badge 8003
Military Veteran

Incident Details

Cause Gunfire
Weapon Handgun; .22 caliber
Offender Sentenced to life imprisonment

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Most Recent Reflection

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Thank you all of you for your words of kindness and solidarity for my family and my grandfather. I was born in the 90s and never knew my grandfather, but I have never heard anything but good things about him. 45 years later his presence is missed every single day: his laugh, his cooking, the trips fishing, and his enduring zest for life that lives on in my mother.

I love you G-Pa; to the moon and back.

Geoffrey N. Smith
Granddaughter

April 3, 2025