Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-01-21
Police FusiIIade
Kills Slayer
of Detective
Bullets Rip House
Of Man Resisting
Sanity Warrant

fatally shot yesterday by a mem
tally deranged man, vino met his
own death soon afterward as
so policemen sent thousands Of
bullets ripping into his attic
hideout.
Detective Russell c. Petite, 80.
of 1915 North Seventeenth street.
Arlington, died of a single bullet
wound in the head.
He had gone with other police
men to the home of Jack Carl
Parks. "a. of 1908 North Taylor
street. to take him into custody
for a sanity hearing.
Police had been warned that
Parks was armed and dangerous.
County Court Judge Paul D.
Brown said Parks mother. Mrs.
Nora Mae Parks. IS, a depart
ment store cashier, had come to
the Courthouse about 9 am.
yesterday. asking that her son be
committed to a mental institu-
ton. She said her son had
threatened her with a pistol five
times since Thanksgiving and,
on Tuesday night, had beaten
her with a pistol.
Was Crack Shot.
Mrs. Parks warned that her
son was a crack shot and carried
a loaded pistol at all times.
Judge Brown signed a warrant
fc/ arrest of "a person alleged
to be mentally unsound." A Sani-
ty commission was to have met
today to consider whether the
man should be committed.
The warrant went to Deputy
Sheriff Theodore w. Frederick.
This is Mr.. Frederick's report
to Sheriff Carl Taylor late yes
terday:
LAS our other men were all
in court or on the road, went
to the police department for a
man to go with me. Detective
Sergt. Russell Runyon was in
charge of the detective bureau.
and he detailed Detectives Rus
sell Petite. Bernard Reyes and
Robert Payne to this assignment.
Locked in Bedroom.
1--WE went to 1903 North Tay-
lor street with Mr.. Parks mother.
Mrs. Nora Mae Parks. She un-
locked the front door. We went
in. His bedroom was just of
the kitchen. His bedroom was
locked with a hook. which left
about a one-inch space took
through. Parks seemed to be
asleep. so we tried to open the
door with a knife but failed.
At that time. Parks awoke, rolled
off the bed and got a sawed-oh
shotgun, dropped the shotgun
and picked up a pistol.
He backed off into a corner
and pointed the pistol at the
crack in the bedroom door. / i'm
mediately backed away. Detec-
tive Petite took a look. and I
told the other officers that we
should go back to the courthouse
Immediately and get a ruling.
because I felt somebody was go
ing to get hurt.
1--WE came back to the court
house. got in touch with Assist
ant commemorative Attorney
Louis Koutoulakos. and he ruled
that the man had to be gotten
out of the house but to try not
to hurt him and by no means to
get ourselves hurt. We then got
in touch with Capt. CWalter) Bell
of the police department and
told him what We needed.
Argue Over Loudspeaker.
major william Co. Fawver.
Capt. raymond S. Cole. Capt.
Bell, Sergt. Ernest A. Summers
and Detectives Petite, Keyes and
Payne and myself then armed
ourselves with shotguns, tear
gas ETC.. and went back
TO 1908 North Taylor street.
We tried to talk Parks out with
a loudspeaker. 1t was impoSsi-
bic. Then we shot tear gas into
the basement and into the bed
room. After that. we went INTO
the house. We could hear him
up in the attic. and we tried
again to talk him out. This also
failed.
Detective Petite walked out in
the front yard with Capt. Bell
right beside him. I was about 6
feet from him. but was protected
by the caves of the porch Sud-
denly Capt, Bell shouted for
Petite to please get back because
the man was up in the attic and
could probably see through the
louvres. In the same instant.
We heard the gun report and saw
Detective Petite fail. mortally
wounded.
MAI. FaWver then took charge.
The police started Kidding the
house from basement to attic.
Park Police and Fairfax County
Police arrived with machineguns
and they just about tore the
place up. The officers then went
into the basement. through the
first floor and up into the attic.
where they found Jack Carl
Parks lying on the floor shot"
Policemen Praised.
One witness said that as police
cars whirled UP to the area. 1T
looked like an army"
Police said Parks fired only
one shot besides the one he fired
at Detective Petite. The second
shot was wild.
When the house was quiet
police rushed in and searched
it Capt. Bell and Sergt Runyon
crawled through a trap door
and another hole made in the
ceiling
They saw something crouched
by the louvre" and fired. There
was no response.
Beside Parks punctured body