LETTERS: 1961 SHOOTOUT ON KINGSHIGHWAY, NOT TOWN PLAZA

To the editor:

The following is an excerpt from Tony Hall's article about the shooting of the two Cape Girardeau police officer's Saturday night:

"The last time Cape Girardeau police were seriously wounded in a shootout was 1961. Patrolmen Donald H. Crittendon and Herbert L. Goss died following a gun battle in Town Plaza Shopping Center March 10, 1961. Gross, 67, died the same day while Crittendon, 24, lingered for 11 days."

Although in this case the error is minor, it is a good example of why people are skeptical of news organizations today. You should report the facts, not repeat what you think are the facts or what you have heard are the facts.

If you had checked the record, you would have discovered Officers Crittendon and Goss spotted Tucker and his accomplice at Town Plaza Shopping Center, but did not stop them until just north of Wimpy's (now Bank of America) on Kingshighway. That is where the shooting occurred.

As a 17-year-old whose car was caught in the crossfire, I distinctly remember where it occurred.

LEWIS TICER

Jackson, Mo.