Briefs - Beltsville

Beltsville Honors
Steven Gaughan
C
orporal Steven
Gaughan was shot
and killed at about
11:00 a.m. on June
21 when he and
two other officers
stopped a suspicious vehicle near
the intersection of Route 197 and
South Laurel Drive in Laurel.
The three occupants exited the
vehicle and fled to a nearby apartment
building. Corporal Gaughan
chased one of the suspects behind
the building where the two
exchanged shots and Corporal
Gaughan was struck once. He was
flown to Prince George’s Hospital
Center where he succumbed to the
wound several hours later.
The suspect was also wounded
in the exchange of gunfire and was
taken into custody. The other two
occupants of the vehicle fled to a
nearby apartment where they were
arrested after a short standoff.
Corporal Gaughan had served
with the Prince George’s County
Police Department for 15 years,
and was assigned to the Special
Assignment Team in District VI.
He was posthumously promoted
to the rank of sergeant. His wife
Donna, 7-year-old son Daniel, and
4-year-old daughter Rachael survive
him.
The preceding was extracted
Page 10 • The BELTSVILLE NEWS • JULY 2005
from “The Officer Down Memorial
Page, Inc.” at www.odmp.
org/officer.php?oid=17798.
Many of Corporal Gaughan’s
fellow officers and friends provided
memorial comments that
can be found at www.odmp.
org/reflections.php?oid=17798 .
One of these items, provided by
Gerry Ponder of Bowie, provides
a compelling portrait of Steven
Gaughan and is cited below with
the author’s permission:
“After some seventy-two years
on God’s green earth I can finally
say: ‘I personally knew a living
and breathing ‘HERO.’ We are
constantly exposed to the tales
and exploits of those who paid
the ultimate price and are honored
posthumously by our bestowing
the honorary label of ‘hero’ as a
prefix or suffix to their name. In
most instances this belated honor
befalls those who find themselves
in a life or death situation that
was not of their choosing. I do
not wish to denigrate any of these
brave individuals. Any person who
gives his or her all for the benefit
of our nation or their fellow man,
deserves to be so honored.
On Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Corporal Steven Gaughan of the
Prince George’s County Police
Department expired in the line
of duty. He died doing what he
was most happy doing. While the
majority of law-abiding citizens
seek only to avoid evil and the bad
elements in our society, Steve was
busy tracking down the bad guys.
That was his thing. He was like a
John Wayne and all those fabled
good guys, who make each of us
feel somehow more worthy as we
reflect on their exceptional acts of
bravery.
I met Steve Gaughan through
his close friendship with my sonin-law,
also a PG County police
officer. At numerous social functions
including my daughter’s
wedding, Christmas and birthday
parties, et al. Steve always made
his presence felt. He was a people
person from the get-go. His sense
of humor and hearty laughter was
truly infectious. There was never a
dull function when this guy was in
attendance. He lit up the room!
Steve’s devil-may-care attitude
aside, it was readily apparent
that this was a man you would
want covering your back in dire
circumstances. Behind that infectious
smile and warm facade was
an individual I could never picture
behind a desk as an administrator.
He was born to serve in the
trenches and relished that role. He
was the gallant warrior that General
George Patton would have
welcomed at his side in combat.
These two fearless souls will now
meet face to face. They were cut
from the same fabric. Each had no
fear of meeting the enemy on their
own turf. Most often than not,
they prevailed.
Corporal Gaughan leaves
behind a widow, Donna (A former
law officer herself), and two
children, Daniel and Rachael,
who were adopted from Russia
after encountering much red tape
and personal expense. Witnessing
Steve with these two youngsters
initially was like watching a big
bear attempting to tame two ram-
bunctious kittens. As with all else
he encountered, he would overcome
the language barrier and
become a doting and exemplary
father. Now these two youngsters,
who escaped from an Iron Curtain
future-must face a future in America
without the always-protective
Dad shielding their flanks.
Steve Gaughan: It was my great
fortune to know you in life. I pray
we can find an appropriate way to
memorialize your passing. We are
all diminished by your death in the
line of duty, but you will forever
serve as an example of what one
valiant person can do when they
commit their life to the cause of
mankind. You did good, Big Guy!
You will be missed, Steve, but
rest assured...You will never be
forgotten!”