Evening star., 1946-09-19
Shooting Of Colleague
By Park Policeman
Termed Accidental

TdFh EOilCe OOfpl. lneOQOre ID.
Lewis, wounded Ave times by a
fellow officer as they beat the
bushes of the Monument Grounds
last night in search of two
fugitives, remained in fair con-
dition at Emergency Hospital
today while investigating officers
were inclined to write the shoot
ing affray off as an unavoidable
accident. ...
The wounded officer was said to
be resting comfortably after sur
geons removed from his body the
five bullets fired by Pvt. Vincent w.
Cleary shortly after 1890 pm.
Capt. Mark II. Raspberry of the
Park Police and Homicide Squad de-
tectives, after investigating the cir
cumstances surrounding the shoot
ing, said: pvt. Cleary only did
what any policeman would have
done. 1t was dark and he couldn't
see clearly. We are satisfied the
whole thing was an accident"
Mistaken for Fugitive.
Capt. Raspberry said the two
officers apparently encountered one
another in the dark on Monument
Grounds, while chasing two men
who had been acting suspiciously
Corpl. Lewis actually was chasing
the suspects, while Pvt Cleary
thought Corpl. Lewis-who was
wearing civilian clothes-was one of
the fugitives, the park police chief
declared.
Corpl. Lewis was on patrol in a
police car and was making a routine
check of the Sylvan Theater area
at about 1890 pm, with Corpl
V. j. Brauner, also in civilian
clothes. They parked the car at
independence avenue and Fifteenth
street and Corpl. Lewis walked to
the west side of the open-air the
ater, where, Capt. Raspberry said,
he found two colored men creating
q disturbance.
A scuff1e began when Corpl. Lewis
attempted to detain the two men,
and the pair fed into the bushes.
Capt. Raspberry said Corpl. Lewis
drew his pistol and shouted at the
fugitives to halt. When they failed
to stop, Capt. Raspberry said; Corpl.
Lewis fired one shot into the
ground.
Corp1. Brauner also fired one into
the ground before joining in the
chase. When the search proved
fruitless, Capt. Raspberry said
Corpl. Brauner went to get the
patrol car so that the headlights |
could be played over the area.
Wore Civilian Clothes.
Meanwhile, Pvt. Cleary had heard
the shots while attending a meeting
of the Park Police Pistol Club in the
squadroom at independence avenue
and Fifteenth street. Capt. RaSp-
berry said Pvt. Cleary also was in
civilian clothing.
Capt. Raspberry said Pvt. Cleary
ran to the scene and made out the
with gun drawn. Mistaking Pvt.
Cleary for one of the fugitives,
Cprpy. Lewis apparently raised his
weapons and called on him to halt /
Pvt. Cleary, who was carrying a
.22-caliber pistol instead of regu-
lar service revolver because he was
off duty, said he thought the chal- |
9enging figure was one of the fugu-i
tives. He dropped to one knee and
fired five shots, and did not realize
Ne had shot fellow officer until he
reached Corpl. Lewis PROSTATE
figure.
Interviewed at his Colmar Manor
Md home today, Pvt. Cleary said
that when he knelt beside his
wounded comrade, Corpl. Lewis
whispered:
"You got me, Vince. You thought
you were helping me-"
Glad 1t Was Small Gun.
Pvt. Cleary said that only the fact
that the bullets came from a small
gun saved the life of Corpl. Lewis.
II am mighty thankful for that" he
said.
Corpl. Lewis, AZ, lives at 1929 Bay
street Sc, and is the father of two
children. A member of the force
since 1927, he enlisted in the Navy
in December, 1912, and served as a
shore patrolman until discharged
last January.
Pvt. Cleary, 38, was a sergeant in
the Army Counterintelligence Corps
and served 19 months in the Euro
pean theater. He served in FIVE
campaigns: Normandy, Brittany, the
Ardennes, the Rhineland and Cen
trail Europe. He has an 11-year-
old son, Donald.
Eor~,x WDP nll:~:sI