Ralph T. Russell

Lewiston Police Department — Lewiston, ID

Felonious

End of Watch June 15, 1970

Age 31

Tour of Duty 7 yrs

The Vigil Panel 107 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 4

Incident

Patrolman Russell was shot and killed while questioning two suspicious men in an alley behind a local business. During the questioning one of the men produced a handgun and shot him several times. Patrolman Russell was found with a draft card belonging to one of the suspects in his hand. The suspect who killed Patrolman Russell had escaped from the Greenville, Tennessee Jail on April 8, 1970. He was being held for four counts of bank robbery, three in Tennessee and one in Bristol, Virgina. He and another Tennessee man fled to the Pacific Northwest where on May 29, 1970, they shot and killed a bartender at a tavern in Portland, Oregon. They were next heard from when they killed Patrolman Russell. On July 9, 1970, they robbed a post office in Malott, Washington. A week later they killed a 70 year old man in Okanogan, Washington by strangulating him, and then stole his car. Both suspects were captured a few weeks later. The killer, 26, of Patrolman Russell was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison on June 16, 1971. He was denied parole for the fifth time in 2008. The other suspect, 22, was allowed to plead guilty to attempted burglary and was sentenced to 7 years in prison. Both suspects were to be turned over to Oregon officials to be tried for murder in that state, when and if they were released from Idaho.

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Permanent identifier: BO-US-ID-0914AA4B
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Patrolman Russell gave the Lewiston Police Department 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Lewiston community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Russell.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Lewiston Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Lewiston, Nez Perce County, ID

Platform Identity lpd.nezperce.id.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 15, 1970

Tour of Duty 7 yrs

Age 31

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Handgun

Patrolman Ralph T. Russell is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In ID, 44 of 71 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 62% of this state's fallen. That is 62 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Lewiston Police Department, 3 of 5 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60% of this agency's fallen.

Lewiston Police Department

of 5 officers

60% Felonious

ID — Statewide

of 71 officers

62% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,772 officers

0% Felonious