Evening star., 1963-03-20
Laborer Is Accused
Of Killing Policeman
Officer Shot
After Tukino
Man Off Bus

A37-year-old dishwasher, who
told police he shot a patrol
man because he was "afraid
to go to JAIL" was charged
with murder today in the fatal
shooting of the 18th precinct
policeman last night in South
east Washington.
The suspect, Joseph Graden
jenkins, of the first block of
U street NV, was captured
after hiding six hours in a
parked car. Hooked inside q
folded umbrella he was carry
ing. police found a .32-caliber
revolver.
The dead policeman, Pvt.
Elmer L. Hunter, "a, a men,
Der Of the force for less than
a year, had been shot three
times, in the chest, the stom-
ach and the back. Witnesses
said he was slain when he re-
moved a man identified as
jenkins from a bus at Ala
bama and Nichols avenues Sc.
The man had refused to pay
his fare.
Shots Are Heard
Minutes later, passersby said.
several shots rang out as Pvt.
Hunter led the recalcitrant bus
rider to a call box across the
street. Detectives said the pa
; trolman apparently had fired
one round from his service re-
volver as the assailant fled.
: Pvt. Paul j. Szalankiewicz.
one of the first policemen to
reach the stricken patrolmans
side, heard him gasp:
Grab my hand. squeeze IL
It hurts. it hurts. oh my God.
1t hurts"
A minute later, Pvt. Hunter
said: Please don't tell my
grandmother. she's already in
bad shape"
More than 100 policemen
joined in a search Of the Con-
gress Heights area after the
shooting. Pvt. Hunter was
found sprawled in a gutter at
about 1i:l5 pm. Physicians,
after q vain attempt to save
his life with blood transfu-
sions, pronounced him dead at
1915 am.
Close to midnight. doctors
said, the patrolman's heart
stopped, but the heartbeat was
restored briefly by hand mas
sage.
Suspect Spotted
At 5 a m, a Robbery Squad
cruiser manned by Detectives
Robert c. Harris and William
J. Dunn spotted a man emerg-
ing from a parking lot in the
200 block of Nichols avenue
Sc, four blocks from the
shooting scene.
No resistance was offered
by the suspect, the detectives
said. They said he told them
at first he had gotten into an
argument on a bus and had
shot somebody. When the de-
tectives told him a policeman
had been shot, jenkins, they
said. declared he had been
afraid the policeman would
put him in Jail.
Police records showed that
Jenkins had served just under
a year In Jail from 1854 to 1855
at Columbia. s. c., on a third
offense charge Of drunken driv-
ing.
jenkins also remarked that he
had visited his wife. a patient
at the Washington Hospital
Center. last night but had
taken the wrong bus and had
ended up in Congress Heights
by mistake. He had one bus
token in his pocket when he
was arrested.
william F. Skotta. 81. a
d. c. Transit Co. driver. told
police he had stopped his
Wheeler road bus at the Ala
bama-Nichols intersection to
pick UP passengers at about IL
pm. He said the third passen-
ger 10 board the vehicle was a
man who took a seat near him
without paying his fare.
Mr.. Skotta said he asked the
man TO pay but that he re-
ceived no reply. The driver.
noticing Pvt. Hunter across the
street. sounded his horn 10 get
the policeman's attention.
The silent passenger, Mr..
See SUOOTINC Para Ak