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Incident Details

Cause of Death:
Gunfire
Date/Time of Incident:
Sunday, June 7, 1970
02:20 am
Incident to Death Duration:
Same day
Incident Location:
U.S. 27 and South Street, Fountain City
Incident County:
Wayne
Incident Township:
New Garden
Weapon Used:
.38-caliber handgun
Suspect Disposition:
• Sentenced to life
(currently incarcerated)
• Died in prison

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Fountain City Police Department

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Town Marshal Donald R. Goodwin

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Town Marshal
Donald R. Goodwin
Fountain City Police Department
Sunday, June 7, 1970

Panel 61E, Line 2
Panel L33, Line 2
   Town Marshal Donald Goodwin and Deputy Marshal William Peters were shot and killed during a traffic stop on a stolen vehicle from Kentucky.

   The two males had burglarized a residence near Miller's Sunoco Station where they were stopped. A passer-by found the bodies of the officers at the closed gas station. Marshal Goodwin was found slumped in the front seat of the patrol car and Deputy Marshal Peters was found laying on the ground nearby.

   The suspects, who were wanted for auto theft and larceny, fled the scene and set fire to the stolen vehicle a few miles north of town. They were later captured, the 21-year-old in Estill, Kentucky on June 29 and the 23-year-old in Orlando, Florida on June 30.

   The 21-year-old offender was found guilty of first-degree murder by a jury in a change of venue to Hancock County and sentenced to life in prison. In May 2021, he was again denied parole by the Indiana Parole Board.

   The 23-year-old offender was found guilty of first-degree murder by a jury in a change of venue to Shelby County and sentenced to life in prison, where he died in 2021.

   Town Marshal Goodwin and Deputy Marshal Peters were brothers-in-law. He was survived by his wife.

Historical Note

• This incident was one of 24 which resulted in the line of duty deaths of two officers.


Personal Details

Age: 48
Law Enforcement Service:
3 years
Badge #: 89F1
Burial Place:
Willow Grove Cemetery,
Fountain City