A Department Remembers the Sacrifice of a Fallen Hero
ORIGINAL October 19, 2023
Today, members of the Baltimore County Police Department remember Fallen Hero Officer John W. Stem, who died on October 19, 2000, from a line-of-duty shooting that occurred in 1977.
In July 1977, Stem and Officer Charles A. Huckeba, 26, arrived in the 2400 block of Brunswick Road, responding to a call from a father having trouble with his unruly son. It was later learned the 19-year-old gunman was under the influence of PCP and heavily armed. As the gunman's father and Officer Huckeba began to approach the house, the 19-year-old male was inside; he sprayed the street with bullets. Huckeba was fatally shot in the upper body.
Stem, then 27, tried to summon help. But one of the bullets struck Stem in the upper back, paralyzing him. Twenty-three years later, at 51, Stem paid the ultimate sacrifice when he died from complications related to that shooting.
Stem's name has since been added to the Police Memorial for Fallen Officers, which is located at Patriot Plaza in Downtown Towson.