Eddie Hampton

POLICE OFFICERS JOSEPH TRACZ JR'S. & FRED FULTON'S STORY

UPDATE: Cop killer Leonard Miller died in prison on November 20, 2013. Thank you to everyone who submitted a petition to help ensure he fulfilled his life sentence. We will continue to protest the parole of Eddie Hampton every time he is up for parole.

A Routine Vehicle Stop

Police Officers Joseph Tracz Jr. and Fred Fulton both had a lot to be happy about when they started their shift on the evening of September 27, 1970. Officer Tracz, who had wanted to be a policeman all his life, was about to celebrate his one-year anniversary with the Cleveland, Ohio Police Department. He was also a month away from becoming a father for the first time. Officer Fulton, a three-year veteran of the police force and the proud father of a two-year-old daughter, was preparing to celebrate his seven-year wedding anniversary the following evening. He had a corsage in the refrigerator and dinner reservations. Neither officer could have imagined the tragic chain of events that awaited them.

On September 28, 1970, at approximately 2:05 A.M., Officers Fulton and Tracz were on patrol when they spotted a vehicle with its license plate hanging by a wire. The hanging license plate raised the officers’ suspicions because there had been some recent car thefts in the area. They decided to pull the vehicle over.

Officer Fulton, who was driving, exited the police cruiser and approached the driver side of the vehicle. Officer Tracz approached the passenger side. When Officer Fulton looked inside the vehicle, he immediately recognized Eddie Hampton in the passenger seat. He knew Hampton from the neighborhood. Officer Fulton asked the driver for his driver’s license and the man said he did not have it with him. Officer Fulton then asked the man to walk back to the police cruiser so he could run a routine check on him. Officer Tracz remained next to the passenger door and talked to Hampton.

A Unprovoked Ambush Results In Murder

Officer Fulton led the man to the passenger side of the cruiser and asked the man to put his hands on the police cruiser’s roof. He explained to the man that he needed to frisk him as part of standard police procedure. As Officer Fulton began the frisk him, the man removed one of his hands from the roof and reached for his waistband. Officer Fulton suspected the man was reaching for a gun and tried to bear hug him. The man was able to pull a gun out and shot Officer Fulton in the groin. As Officer Fulton was falling to the ground the man turned around and shot Officer Fulton at point blank range in the chest.

The man then began shooting at Officer Tracz. While Officer Tracz was trying to take cover, Hampton jumped out of the car. Hampton started wrestling with a wounded Officer Tracz. Hampton managed to get Officer Tracz’s gun during the fight. As Officer Fulton was crawling back to the police cruiser to radio for help, he saw Hampton shoot Officer Tracz in the back. Hampton then turned and began firing at Officer Fulton. One of the bullets hit Officer Fulton in the mouth and another grazed his arm. The men heard police sirens and fled the area.

Police officers, who were investigating a robbery a block away, heard the gunfire and immediately rushed to the scene. They found Officer Fulton clinging to life. He was rushed to Mt. Sinai Hospital. Officer Tracz was dead. They found him face down on the ground. He had been shot four times. Officer Tracz was still clutching Hampton’s shoe, which he had grabbed while fighting for his life.

Officer Fulton was read his last rites at the hospital, however he was determined to catch the men who shot him and killed his partner. Despite the odds against him, he would survive. He identified Eddie Hampton and Leonard Miller as the assailants. The shoe in Officer Tracz’s hand was later traced back to Eddie Hampton.

A Nationwide Search Leads To Two Cop Killers

For the next 17 months, authorities would carry out a nationwide manhunt for Hampton and Miller. They were spotted in Pittsburgh, Chicago, New York City and Alabama. They made it clear to everyone they spoke with that they would not be taken alive.

On May 1, 1972 a call came in to Cleveland Police advising them that two men were trying to rob the Cleveland Trust Co. Bank. One man, later identified as Leonard Miller, had taken a guard hostage and had stolen his gun. Miller then ordered the 27 people in the bank to lie on the ground. The other man, later identified as Eddie Hampton, jumped the counter and robbed the safe. Before they left, Miller put the guard’s gun within reach of the guard’s hand and said, “Pick it up, if you want to.” The guard did not move, knowing that if he went for the gun, Miller would kill him instantly. Miller took the gun and fled. When Hampton and Miller saw the police officers, they opened fire. After an intense gun battle, an injured Miller was apprehended. Hampton escaped with almost $8,000. Miller refused to admit his identity until he was confronted by fingerprint evidence. Five days later, police found Eddie Hampton hiding in a crawl space in his sister’s home.

Police learned that, while on the run, Miller and Hampton had been robbing people at gunpoint and putting them in the trunks of their cars. One of those victims, James Oldham, was found dead in the trunk of his car. While the corpse was in the trunk, Miller and Hampton used the vehicle to rob gas stations.

The Aftermath

Miller and Hampton went through multiple jury trials for their crimes. They both were found guilty by each jury. They received consecutive (back to back) life sentences for the murder of Police Officer Joseph Tracz Jr., the attempted murder of Police Officer Fred Fulton and the armed bank robbery. They received an additional 80+ years for their remaining crimes, which included trying to kill police officers during the bank robbery. They were never tried for the murder of robbery victim James Oldham. Leonard Miller received an additional six months added to his sentence after a failed prison escape years later.

Police Officer Fred Fulton returned to active duty after a long and painful recovery. He was eventually promoted to detective. He would be forced to retire early due to his injuries. Over 40 years later, Officer Fulton still suffers from his injuries.

Police Officer Joseph Tracz Jr. was survived by his wife and his son, who was born a month after his father’s death. Officer Tracz’s name is inscribed on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Wall, Washington, D.C., panel 29, west wall, line 6.

No Parole

Releasing Eddie Hampton at any point would be an insult to all his victims and their families. His release would pose an immeasurable risk to the community, especially to law enforcement. Based on the brutal, senseless and violent nature of Eddie Hampton’s multiple crimes, we believe he should remain in prison until the day he dies. To further the interests of justice and to protect the community, we urge the Ohio Parole Board to give Eddie Hampton the maximum ten-year continuance until his next parole hearing.