Michael A. Coleman

EOW: March 25, 1982

​Michael Colman joined the Sheriff’s Office as a cadet in 1972.  He promoted to Deputy Sheriff one year later.  Mike joined several other family members who were already members of the Sheriff’s Office.  His uncle William was a veteran Lieutenant.  Mikes father Floyd had been a member of the Sheriff’s Office auxiliary since 1954 and served as the Sheriff’s Office’s Rang Master.  Michael also had two cousins who were deputies and another uncle who had been an auxiliary deputy.

After being promoted to Deputy Sheriff, Mike did the customary stint in the Custody Division before moving to patrol.  Michael was an outgoing person who took pride in his job and excelled at it.  In 1977 he was named “Officer of the Year” at the annual ceremonies at the Italian Athletic Club.  Mike and his parents were very close.  They were very proud of Mike’s accomplishments.  Mike was very proud of his dad as well.  Although he was a part-time volunteer member of the office, Floyd was made the range master.  Floyd worked closely with deputies, teaching young deputies the techniques necessary to properly use a firearm.  Floyd was well-known and highly regarded throughout the Sheriff’s Office.

After working in the Patrol Division for a number of years, Mike was assigned to the Metropolitan Narcotics Task Force in 1981.  This specialized narcotics unit had been formed to battle the influx of illicit street drugs in the early 1970’s.  The unit was based out of the Stockton Police Department and was made up of officers from several police departments in the county, as well as the State Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement.

On the afternoon of March 25, 1982, Deputy Coleman accompanied three other officers from the task force to a location in East Stockton to serve an arrest and search warrant.  Standard procedure called for officers serving warrants to wear a ballistic vest.  Since Deputy Coleman did not have his vest with him, it was decided that he would stay back until the residence was secured.  He would then come up, handle the reading of the search warrant and assist in searching the house.  The officers put on wind breaker jackets with the word “POLICE” boldly printed on them and went to the house.

The property was surrounded by a short chain link fence with a locked gate.  The officers hopped the fence and went towards the front of the house.  Two officers went to the front door.  The front door was initially open when they arrived, though there was a screen door which was shut.  The officers knocked and loudly announced themselves as police officers with a search warrant.  Several neighbors in the area clearly heard the announcement.

As the officers were in the process of announcing themselves, someone inside the residence slammed the door shut.  Because they believed people inside might be arming their selves and/or destroying evidence, officers attempted to kick open the door.  After several unsuccessful tries, the door flung open.  There was a woman standing back several feet away from the door holding a pistol.  She was holding the pistol in a two handed grip when she opened fire on the officers.

Deputy Coleman had been standing in the front yard, away from the front door.  He moved up when officers encountered trouble at the door.  Deputy Coleman was shot one time by the woman.  The bullet entered under his right arm, passed through his body and severed his aorta.  Although mortally wounded, Deputy Coleman returned fire, shooting all six rounds from his revolver before collapsing on the front lawn.  The woman suspect was also shot during the gunfight and offered no more resistance.  Deputy Coleman was rushed via ambulance to St. Joseph’s Hospital in grave condition.

Floyd Coleman had been on duty at the department range.  At the time, the range was located at the Sheriff’s Office Facility in French Camp.  Deputies were detailed to take Floyd to the hospital.  Floyd sat in the front seat and listened intently to the radio as they drove.  As they arrived at the hospital, Floyd leaned forward as though trying to listen more closely to the radio and collapsed.

Floyd was rushed into an examination room in the emergency room, but it was too late.  He had suffered fatal heart attack.  The doctor who pronounced Floyd dead then moved to the adjacent room, where five minutes later he pronounced Deputy Michael Coleman dead.  

Floyd was 70 years old when he died.  Michael, a bachelor was 30 years old.  Michael’s mother Josephine was left behind to grieve the loss of her husband and son.

The deaths of Michael and Floyd Coleman deeply moved members of the community.  In a tribute to Michael, the Stockton Holiday Inn displayed the following message on their marquee “WE SALUTE DEPUTY COLEMAN, AN AMERICAN HERO.”  In recognition of the Coleman’s the Sheriff’s Office dedicated its firearms range in their name.