Honoring Fallen Peace Officers
Sergeant Stephen Way can?t put away the stacks of articles chronicling that day. It was that day, twenty years ago, he lost a friend and comrade during no-knock raid in a Cimarron Hills neighborhood. Yet the memories, unlike the faded newspaper clippings, haven?t aged.
April 13, 1992. El Paso County Sheriff?s Deputy, 33-year-old Hugh Martin, a S.W.A.T. member, was killed just feet away from Sgt. Way. It was Martin?s first year with the S.W.A.T. team ? a dream he?d had for a number of years.
Moment by moment, Sgt. Way recounts what happened that night.
?I was the first man at the door. The doorknob gave, but the deadbolt stayed connected,” says Sgt. Way. County S.W.A.T. members were there to find suspect Robert Sickich, who had just gotten back to Colorado with $60,000 dollars worth of cocaine and marijuana. April 13th, Sickich was home.
“The second time i struck the door, the deadbolt gave, the door flew open, and standing just inside was Robert Sickich,” remembers Sgt. Way.
In seconds, Sickich fired, squarely hitting Deputy Hugh Martin. The deputy’s flak jacket was no match for the bullet from Sickich’s Ruger.
?Even though Hugh goes down, we still have a job to do and we have to get in and secure the residence,” says Sgt. Way.
And that?s exactly what the S.W.A.T. members did ? six shots were fired at suspect Robert Sickich, who was paralyzed during the fight, and was later taken into custody. Sickich later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison for killing Dep. Martin.
But the shooting then ? and the reality of Sgt. Way?s job now ? don?t stop him from a deep desire to protect the public.
“I’ve got some things around the house that I remember Hugh by, but I don’t take and let it overwhelm me. I try and stay focused. Even though Hugh got killed, I still have a job to do.”
KRDO Newschannel 13 is partnering with the Pikes Peak Region Peace Officers to honor those who have been killed in the line of duty, like Dep. Hugh Martin ? and those who live to continue the mission, like Sgt. Stephen Way.
As a component fund with the Pikes Peak Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, a permanent memorial will be constructed as a cornerstone in America the Beautiful Park. It can only be made possible with generous donations.
Once the memorial is completed, future funds will be used to pay for family bereavement travel expenses.
There are many ways you can help support this project: from volunteering to help with fundraising efforts, to purchasing a brick paver for the pathway of honor, to considering a major gift.
For more information, visit the “Pikes Peak Region Peace Officers’ Memorial”
