Christian Family Services Ministry

6-18-2023 – A Word to the Wise – Element 311, 2 man. March 1985

The March wind howls through the trees. It’s 11:00 p.m. Elmer and I get off in 30 minutes. It has been a slow Friday night. ‘311, Signal 6 (Disturbance) 2722 Hatcher Street, apartment 231, woman calling for help.’ I pick up the mike, ‘Received.’

It only takes a few minutes because we are near Second Ave. We pulled up in front of the apartment. It is one of series of old barrack style apartments. All seems quiet. It is ice cold with a blowing cold wind. We climb the stairs; I am in the lead. It is a very narrow stairway with room for only one at a time. It’s dark.

Stopping at the top of the stairs, the cold wind howling. Almost with nowhere to stand, I listen for a few seconds but hear nothing. I bang on the door with my flashlight. ‘Police.’

Then shortly I hear a voice say, ‘what you want’. Police, open the door we need to talk to you.’ The cold March wind howls up the staircase.

Finally, a black male, 5’8, opens the door. He has no shirt on. Dressed only in a pair of jeans. He is sweating profusely. Now it is really cold on the stairs, and he is sweating. I mean sweat is actually pouring off the man.

He seems very agitated. I asked him to have his wife come to the door. He said, ‘she is not here.’ ‘Sir we got a call of a woman calling for help.’ ‘Sorry she is not here she went to the store.’

I noticed a small trash can near the doorway with glass and blood in it. I observe that the suspect has cut marks on his hands so I tell him we need to step inside that it is cold, I will do a quick walk through and if she is not there, we will leave.

He reluctantly lets us in. Elmer talks to him inside the living room while I walk through the small apartment. It is my experience in this complex that most of the apartments are filthy overrun with roaches often dropping down from the ceiling onto back of your neck. This apartment, however, is different. It appears spotless. It is dark, the lights are out except for a night light at the end of the hall. It appears clean and very tidy. Elmer talks to the man. I investigate.

Walking through the apartment I check the first door on the right down the hall. It’s a bedroom and there are two children asleep in the bed. That is a good sign. It is quiet.

I reach the end of the hall and open the door to the second bedroom which is clean, the bed still made. However, I noticed that there was a woman’s purse on the bed. This woman did not leave without her purse.

I call down the hall to my partner who is still talking to the suspect “Elmer there is a woman’s purse here on the bed.” Returning up the hall I stopped at the bathroom. Turning on the light, I gasp. There is blood and glass in the sink and on the floor. Blood is on the mirror, and on the side of the tub. What has happened here? Where is the woman?

Then I walk back up the hall to the kitchen and turn on its lights. The sight is unbelievable.

There is blood everywhere. All over the fridge, down its front and sides. All over the stove, blood everywhere, all over the kitchen table, the walls, everywhere is blood and glass. But no woman.

There is an ironing board with an iron setting on it both covered with blood, and black hair.

Elmer go check the bathroom and the kitchen. I turn to the suspect, ‘where is she?’ ‘Who, your wife, stupid.’ ‘She went to the store.’ ‘Without her purse no she did not, where is she?

Elmer comes back and takes over the interview. I returned to the kitchen and notice the backdoor with a trail of blood on the floor leading to it. Opening the door, I see blood on the narrow stairs and more glass. Opening the back door, I find the railing is blood soaked all the way down. I follow the trail. But no sign of the woman. I return to the living room.

Elmer talks to the suspect and convinces him to tell him what happened, perhaps she is still alive. Finally, he gives it up and talks about the fight and how he carried her body down and put her in the car and drove it down the alley.

Elmer takes him to look for the car. Just then the radio comes alive “311 investigate an auto horn blaring nonstop in the alley behind 2600 Hatcher”.

Elmer and the suspect head to the alleyway.

Meanwhile, I wait inside with the sleeping children. The other officers and Elmer find the woman in a car. She fell against the steering wheel and is sounding the horn. She is still alive! They called for an ambulance. We arrest the suspect and take him to jail. Family comes to stay with the kids. Apparently, they had gotten in a fight, and he beat her with the iron.

Of all the experiences this one has lived in my memory. Vivid recollections of the handprints in blood on the walls and appliances come alive every time I watch certain television programs. While the movies are dressed up scenes, this scene is real, and vivid, and tells the story of man’s inhumanity. It is time to get off two extra hours of overtime.