Patrolman Richard John Burchick - Erie Police Dept. - PA - True Life Hero

Richard John Burchick
- Feb. 05, 1991 -

(24284)

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Erie Police Dept. Patch

Resided:	PA, USA
Born:	Unk
Fallen:	Feb. 05, 1991
Race/Sex:	Caucasian Male / 39 yrs. of age
	Agency
Dept:	Erie Police Dept. - PA 626 State Street Erie, PA 16501 USA (814)870-1125
County:	Erie
Dept. Type:	Municipal/Police
Hero's Rank:	Patrolman
Sworn Date:	9/1986
FBI Class:	Homicide - Gun
Weapon Class:	Firearm
Agency URL:	Click Here
On The Job:	5 years

Bio: Erie Police Officer Burchick begun his career in the city planning office, where he worked after spending some time as a civilian police clerk. But Burchick always wanted to be a police officer, recalled former Police Chief Paul DeDionisio, who welcomed the 35-year-old Burchick to the force in September 1986. His career ended when a bullet was fired from a .38-caliber handgun by a husky teenager as he tried to run from a traffic stop, brought Burchick's life to a violent end.

Burchick, married for 17 years and the father of three girls, died in the line of duty. His photograph hangs in the lobby of the Erie Bureau of Police to remind residents of the sacrifice he made on the job, and to remind his fellow officers of the dangers the job holds. His name adorns monuments to fallen police officers in Perry Square and in Washington, D.C.

Officer Burchick was laid to rest four days after his passing. His funeral service drew a huge crowd, including 400 out-of-town law enforcement officers. Erie Police Officer, Lt. Dan Spizarny, then a rookie officer, played taps. The pallbearers included Erie Police Officers Annunziata and Kwitowski. The police administration brought in counselors to work with officers, and the counselors were made available for some time after the shooting. Then-Erie Mayor Joyce Savocchio called for the establishment of a broad-based coalition to address street crime, and she met with community leaders to speak about the problems and to hash out possible solutions.

Burchick's widow accepted the Medal of Honor Award from Savocchio during a memorial service held on the first anniversary of his death. Three weeks earlier, officials at Gannon University, where Burchick had earned a degree in political science in 1980, donated $14,000 to the city. The money was used to purchase bulletproof vests.

Survived by:

Wife
and children

Fatal Incident Summary

Offender:	Michael Bibbs / Male - 17 years old

Location:	PA USA Tue. Feb. 05, 1991
Summary:	In the 1990s, a cycle of violence swept through Erie. Loose groups of young men, tied together by their neighborhoods, feuded. They fought. They carried weapons. They shot guns at one another. An unseasonably warm day had turned into a foggy night when a few Group 3 patrol officers, just starting their shifts, stopped a white Oldsmobile near East 21st Street and East Avenue shortly after 11 p.m. on February 5, 1991. The officers wanted to question the occupants about an incident earlier that evening, when a house was shot up in another part of the city's east side. Burchick was in an 'early car,' and was on another call when he responded to the traffic stop to offer assistance. Six young men were in the Oldsmobile, two ran off. One of the runners, identified as 17-year-old Michael Bibbs, whirled around and shot Burchick in the face as Burchick grabbed at him, according to investigators. Bibbs, whose own father was fatally shot in the city 15 years earlier, was later found hiding in a parked car nearby. The four other young men still in the Oldsmobile were also taken into custody, along with two guns police pulled from the car. The sixth young man was apprehended the next day. Burchick was raced to Saint Vincent Health Center where the following day he was taken off life support at 12:37 a.m. on February 6, 1991. His organs were removed for donation.
Disposition:	Michael Bibbs, who would turn 18 in less than a week, was charged as an adult with criminal homicide and other crimes, and was placed in juvenile detention. The other four suspects caught at the scene, all 18 or older, were arraigned on charges of criminal conspiracy and firearms violations, and were placed in the Erie County Prison. Bibbs, who won a change of venue, because of the publicity and the mood of the city, was convicted by an out-of-town jury of third-degree murder in October 1991. Bibbs, given a 15 to 30 year sentence, was incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution at Mahanoy, a medium-security facility in Frackville, Pennsylvania. Burchick's former co-workers, prohibited from attending parole hearings because of their employment with the police department, have written letters urging that Bibbs be kept behind bars. Bibbs has come up for parole consideration in each of every year of his incarceration.
Source:	Website Click
Source:	Website Click

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Last Updated: May. 26, 2020