Aug 6, 2008 10:29 am US/Eastern
Slain Officer Had A Distinguished Military Career
Donald Pettit, 52, Was Shot In A Parking Lot In Pembroke Pines
Reward For Information On Pettit's Killer Up To $275K
PEMBROKE PINES (CBS4) ―
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Donald Pettit, a federal law enforcement officer, was killed in the parking lot of a Pembroke Pines post office.
From: Miami Herald
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This is a sketch of the suspect who shot and killed a federal agent outside a Broward post office on August 5, 2008.
CBS
As hundred of officers from local police and federal agencies continue their search for the man who shot and killed 52-year old Donald Pettit in a post office parking lot in Pembroke Pines, family and friends gather to mourn his loss.
Pettit, an internal affairs investigator with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, was shot early Tuesday morning in a parking lot off Pines Boulevard and Dykes Road after reportedly getting into a dispute with another driver. After the shooting, the other driver sped off. Pettit died three hours later at Memorial Regional Hospital.
Friends and co-workers say Pettit, a father of two, was a good man who had a distinguished career with the military before joining U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
According the U.S. Army, Pettit started his career in 1974 as a non-commissioned officer; he progressed to the rank of Specialist. He was discharged from Regular Army in October, 1981 to become a Warrant Officer. At the time of his retirement in 1981 he had attained the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 3.
It was during the 1980's after he became a Warrant Officer that Pettit became involved in Military Police and Intelligence. He was notably the principal staff assistant to Army Secretary John O. Marsh Jr. and primarily in charge of security matters.
In January, 1984, Pettit served as a Special Agent at the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (USACIDC) in Bamberg, Germany. In May, he was promoted to Special Agent Team Chief. In March, 1985, Pettit was transferred state side and served as a Special Agent at the USACIDC in Falls Church, Virginia.
In 1986, he was tapped for the security detail for U.S. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger for a trip to Thailand. It was during a stop in Bangkok that a nail bomb exploded at the entrance of a hotel where Weinberger was due to speak; Weinberger would have passed right by it. No one was killed in the bombing, but three people were injured.
In June, 1987, Pettit served as a Team Chief of the Economic Crimes Unit of the USACIDC at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
After completing his Polygraph Examiner training, Pettit served as a Special Agent and Examiner with USACIDC in Stuttgart, Germany from April 1988 to July, 1991.
He then went on to become a Polygraph Instructor at the Department of Defense's Polygraph Institute at Fort McClellan, Alabama from July, 1991 to June, 1994.
Over the course of his military career, Pettit received numerous awards including a Meritorious Service Medal, an Army Commendation Medal and an Army Achievement Medal.
After leaving the service, Pettit spent 15 years as an investigator with the Food and Drug Administration before joining the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in January, 2008 as an internal affairs investigator.
Police have released a sketch of the man they say shot Pettit. He is described as a white male between 50 to 60 years of age, 6' to 6'1" with a medium build. He has white bushy hair and saggy cheeks. When last seen, he was wearing a green plaid shirt.
A reward of $275-thousand is being offered for information that will lead to Pettit's killer.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call Broward Crime Stoppers at at 954-493-TIPS, Pembroke Pines police, 954-431-2200, or online:
www.browardcrimestoppers.org.
(© MMIX CBS Television Stations. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report)
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