Roll of Honor
James Albert Chew
Incident
Officer Chew was shot and killed by an escapee from a Washington state prison. The suspect had been the focus of a manhunt in the area for several days but had not been located. Several hours after the search was called off, Officer Chew was advised that a car had just been stolen outside the town limits and headed into Steamboat Springs. When Officer Chew located the vehicle, the suspect sped away. Officer Chew chased the man into a residential area where the suspect bailed out of the vehicle. Officer Chew immediately confronted the suspect and held him at gunpoint. As Officer Chew's closest backup responded from approximately 20 miles away, the suspect asked if he could take off a heavy coat he was wearing because he was hot. When Officer Chew permitted him to do so, the suspect threw the coat over Officer Chew's head and attacked him, striking him on the head with a .44 caliber handgun he had found in the stolen car. The suspect then opened fire on Officer Chew, striking him several times. A reserve deputy who lived nearby heard the radio traffic responded to the scene to offer his assistance. When he arrived at the scene, he could not locate Officer Chew but observed an unidentified man standing nearby. The deputy held the suspect at gunpoint until another officer arrived and located Officer Chew, who died a short time later. The suspect, 26, had simply walked away from a honer house 29 days earlier near Vancouver. He had been transferred there from the Washington Penitentiary and was to be paroled again in January. He was serving a term for violating his parole related to an armed robbery conviction. It was soon discovered he had stole a handgun and a rifle from a nearby truck. It was then learned he stole a car minutes later. He was found guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a state hospital. Officer Chew was a United States Marine Corps veteran and had served with the Steamboat Springs Police Department for four years. He was survived by a son and tw
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- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Police Officer Chew gave the Steamboat Springs Police Department 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Steamboat Springs community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
James Albert Chew served in the Marine Corps (1955â1963) before joining law enforcement.
Police Officer James Albert Chew is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In CO, 235 of 360 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 65.3% of this state's fallen. That is 11.1 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Albert Chew's cause is highlighted.
How James Albert Chew Compares
Offender Outcome
Committed
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. James Albert Chew is highlighted in Jul.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. James Albert Chew was killed by handgun; .44 caliber.