Officer Melton was hired by the Gardena Police Department on March 3, 1972. On June 3, 1981, Officer Melton was working uniformed patrol in a marked police unit when he and his partner, Jeffrey Patten, were flagged down regarding suspicious circumstances. The officers were directed to an area where a subject was seen pushing an older male into some bushes. As the officers approached the area, they were fired upon with an assault rifle from approximately 20 feet. The subject fired several times as he approached the driver’s side of the patrol unit where Officer Melton was seated. Officer Melton was shot several times; one shot struck his spinal cord and instantly paralyzed him from the chest down. Officer Patten returned fire, killing the subject. It was later determined that the subject had robbed and killed the older man whom he had pushed into the bushes.

As a result of his injuries, Officer Melton subsequently retired from the Gardena Police Department on industrial disability and was confined to a wheelchair for more than 22 years until his death on November 1, 2003. Just prior to Officer Melton’s death, he was informed that he needed angioplasty; however, the doctors were unable to perform the surgery due to his paralysis and weak condition. Without the surgery, Officer Melton ultimately passed away from heart failure.

Reserve Officer Donald Bacon