On December 5, 1987, on his wife’s birthday, San Diego Sheriff’s Deputy Lonny Brewer was killed by hostile gunfire during a tactical operation in support of the Escondido Police Department. Deputy Brewer’s wife of only a few weeks, fellow Deputy Cathy Brewer, was on patrol in Poway when Escondido Police Department called for help in dealing with a suspect armed with an AK-47 and barricaded in an apartment on Mission Avenue in Escondido. The suspect, Robert Gary Taschner, had been terrorizing his ex-wife, shot at his neighbors, and held police at bay for almost six hours. Deputy Lonny Brewer, a member of the Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Detail, responded to the call with fellow members of the Sheriff’s SWAT Team.
As the situation deteriorated, SWAT officers deployed chemical agents into the suspect’s apartment in preparation to enter the premises and apprehend Taschner. As Deputy Brewer and a partner battered the suspect’s door open, Taschner fired a round that struck Brewer in the arm between the panels of his vest. Brewer’s partner, Deputy Scott Rossall, was also wounded. Deputy Brewer died at the scene. The entry plan was abandoned. Shortly thereafter, Taschner, wearing military fatigues and a gas mask, ran from the apartment firing at law enforcement officers, wounding one. Deputies returned fire, killing Taschner.
In delivering his eulogy, San Diego Sheriff John F. Duffy described Deputy Brewer as, “… a man of high principles, full of good faith and who had a certain “boyish” charm… he was the kind of man that others instantly trusted and liked, because he was so genuine.”
End of Watch
December 5, 1987
Service Tenure
7 years
Age
29