Kissimmee Police Sgt. Richard “Sam” Howard, 36, was killed helping a fellow officer in the community he served for 10 years.
He died Saturday afternoon, succumbing to injuries he suffered in a double shooting the night before that’s rocked the law enforcement community.
Fellow officer Matthew Baxter initiated a routine check into three suspicious people near the intersection of Cypress and Palmway streets about 9:30 p.m. Friday. Howard was in the area and went to back up Baxter when he heard his call, a Kissimmee Police spokeswoman said.
At some point during the exchange, 45-year-old Everett Glenn Miller pulled out a handgun and shot the two officers. Baxter died shortly after the shooting, according to police. Howard clung to life for until the next day.
Howard’s “auntie” Darlene Richardson said his family came in to see him before taking him off life support Saturday. It was his mother’s birthday.
“He always wanted to be a cop, ever since he was a kid, he always wanted to arrest the bad people,” Richardson said. “He didn’t want to see nobody hurting.”
Howard was married to an elementary school teacher and had a teenage daughter, his cousin Michael Howard said.
The sergeant had just earned a promotion last month, according to the Kissimmee Police Department.
Michael Howard said his cousin had a great sense of humor and was close with his father.
“He was a family man,” Michael Howard said. “Most people knew him as Officer Howard, but we knew him as Sam.”
He served two tours with the Army in Iraq after graduating high school, Richardson said.
“He didn’t want to see nobody hurting,” Richardson said. “If someone was going through something, he tried to figure out how to help them.”
Michael Howard said the fallen officer was hardworking, channeling even his stressors toward self improvement.
“Whenever he’d have a bad day at work, he would go work out,” he said.
“They’re two wonderful men,” Kissimmee Police Chief Jeff O’Dell said of the officers. “They are two officers who are committed to doing it the right way. They are both very committed to the community.”
Richardson said the family has felt supported through their grief. “We have a good support system, we don’t feel like we have to go through it alone,” she said.
Miller was arrested on charges including first-degree murder related to the killings. He is being held at the Osceola County Jail.
A prayer vigil will be held at the Hope Mission Church, 1431 Palmway St., at 3 p.m. Sunday. The church sits at the intersection where the officers were shot.
The City of Kissimmee has set up an account with SunTrust Bank for individuals who wish to make donations to help Howard’s and Baxter’s families. Donors can go to any SunTrust Bank location beginning Monday to contribute, a city spokeswoman said.
cdoornbos@orlandosentinel.com, 407-650-6931 or @CaitlinDoornbos
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