1982 – Phillip N. Trust – Officer – Riverside Police Department

Officer Phillip N. Trust

Biographical Info:

Born: Unknown
Age: 36
Tour of Duty: 10 years
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details:
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: May 13, 1982
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Death sentence – overturned in 2005 – new trial and convicted second time

On Thursday, May 13, 1982, at about 8:30 am, Riverside Police Department Officer Phillip Trust and Officer Dennis Doty, who worked in the felony warrant section of the department, were shot and killed when they attempted to serve an arrest warrant at a house on Wolfe Avenue in the city of Riverside. They were attempting to arrest Jackson Chambers Daniels, Jr. a convicted bank robber, who had failed to report to court as ordered, to receive final sentancing and begin serving a 13-year sentence. Daniels had been convicted of involvement in a 1980 robbery of a Riverside bank and a high-speed chase that culminated in a shoot-out with Riverside Police Department officers. Daniels had been wounded during the shoot-out and paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his wounds. Daniels had pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon on police officers, robbery, and being an ex-felon in possession of a concealed firearm. He later attempted to change his guilty plea, which was denied. Daniels had been sentenced to 13 years in state prison, but he had been free on bail while appealing his conviction. After the appeal failed, he was scheduled to report to court for final sentencing on April 28. Judge John H. Hews issued a bench warrant for his arrest when Daniels failed to appear in court.

Both officers were working in plain clothes, assigned to the warrant detail. They had driven to an address on Wolfe Street in Riverside on the basis of recent information that the suspect they were looking for was at that location. When the officers arrived, they found Daniels, nude sitting in his wheelchair, in a bedroom at the front of the residence. The officers allowed Daniels to reach onto a bed post to grab a shirt. Daniels, however, pulled a gun from where it had been concealed under him and shot the two police officers. Officer Doty died as a result of a gunshot wound to the head, while Officer Trust died of gunshot injuries to his stomach area. Each officer was shot once. Officer Trust returned fire during the shootout, wounding Daniels in the hand. Daniels managed to escape and remained at large for approximately 60 hours. He was subsequently arrested in nearby Rubidoux, California, by Riverside Police Department officers.

Officer Trust, 36, was a 10-year veteran of the Riverside Police Department. He is survived by his wife, Rhonda, and four children, Tammy, Jason, Jeromy and Joshua. He served in the war in Vietnam, with the Navy.

Officer Trust is buried at Olivewood Cemetery in Riverside, California.

Posted in End Of Watch.

2 Comments

  1. I remember visiting Uncle Don, and Aunt Charlotte, in Riverside, and Hanging with Phillip, and his brothers, Kenny, and Jerry. Seeing how they cared for the animals, their brotherly competitiveness. These guys were all studs. Amongst this group, I was the “nerd”. But they always treated me kindly, with the same love their family gave them. I remember Phil could hit a softball a mile. I remember swimming in the reservoir and taking crazy dives swinging off the rope swing. Don and Charlotte`s was the go to destination for Trust family reunions. I miss you cous` . Thank you for your service, and thank you for your example by a life well lived.

    Your Cousin,
    Danny Trust

    • Hi Lawrence. Thank you very much for your blog comment on the RCPOMF website. Sorry it took me so long to see it, be able to post it and to thank you for sending it.

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