Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)
Today, the FBI Washington Field Office (WFO) and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) mark the anniversary of a tragic day in law enforcement history. Two special agents and one police sergeant were killed in the line of duty. Three decades ago, a lone gunman fatally shot Special Agent Martha Dixon, Special Agent Michael John Miller, and MPD Sgt. Henry “Hank” Daly inside MPD’s headquarters building.
WFO and MPD will lay wreaths in honor of our fallen heroes during a ceremony at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial this morning.
On November 22, 1994, at approximately 3:15 p.m., gunman Bennie Lee Lawson entered a squad room on the third floor of MPD Headquarters. He opened fire with a TEC-9 assault weapon. Special Agents Dixon and Miller and Sgt. Daly were shot and killed. Special Agent John Kuchta and a 15-year-old boy were also shot and wounded during the exchange of gunfire. The week prior to the shooting, Lawson had been questioned as a suspect in a triple homicide. He left handwritten notes at his home indicating that his intended targets were the commander of MPD’s homicide squad and his investigators. Lawson died from gunshot wounds sustained during the incident.
“Three decades ago, three of our own lost their lives in the line of duty,” said David Sundberg, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Today and every day, we remember Martha, Mike, and Hank and the sacrifices they made. We’re grateful for their work, their bravery, and their service to the people of this city.”
“Hank, Martha, and Michael dedicated their lives to protecting us all,” said Pamela A. Smith, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department. “That day’s events were a solemn reminder of how vulnerable members of the law enforcement community can be, and how we can’t take a commitment to service for granted.”
Families of the fallen and current and former FBI and MPD personnel will come together during today’s memorial service to honor the service martyrs.
Biographies of Service Martyrs
Special Agent Martha Dixon, 35, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was raised with her seven brothers and sisters in a suburb of the city. She received her undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Pittsburgh in 1982 and worked as a forensic chemist for the Arkansas State Crime Lab. Dixon joined the FBI in 1987 and was assigned to the Knoxville Field Office. She became a technically trained agent and the first female SWAT team member in the office. Dixon came to WFO in 1992 and worked drug cases, violent crimes, and cold cases. She was a founding member of WFO’s Evidence Response Team, which was renamed in her honor. Special Agent Dixon was survived by her parents, Mary and Kenneth; her seven siblings, Edward, Paul, Jan, Kevin, Joanne, Monica, and Mark; and her husband, Special Agent Jorge “George” Martinez.
Special Agent Michael John Miller, 41, was born in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and lived in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, with his family at the time of his death. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland and was a 1978 graduate of Georgetown University School of Law. Miller joined the FBI in 1984 and worked in the Oklahoma City Field Office and FBI Headquarters before he resigned to practice law in 1990. In 1992, he rejoined the FBI and became part of WFO. Special Agent Miller was survived by his wife, Wanda, and two children, Benjamin and Dale Emily.
Sgt. Henry “Hank” Daly, 51, was born in Germany and educated in Queens, New York. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps for five years before joining MPD in 1966. Daly was assigned to MPD’s Homicide Branch in 1981 and received a total of 27 commendations from the private sector, federal and local government officials, MPD’s chief of police, and the mayor. He was appointed to be the first supervisor of the Homicide Cold Case squad in 1992. He had 28 years of service with MPD at the time of his death. Sgt. Daly was survived by his wife, Mary Ann, and two children, Steven and Elizabeth.
FBI and MPD honor special agents and officers killed in the line of duty. FBI agents are memorialized through the FBI’s Wall of Honor, and MPD officers are commemorated on MPD’s online memorial.