"Heroes Live Forever" - the story of NYPD Officer Charles Davis and his brother-in-law, VA Police Officer Ronald Hearn

Two police officers were shot and killed eight years apart--Angela Davis lost both her brother and her husband.

NYPD Officer Charles Davis (l) and VA Police Officer Ronald Hearn

McLean, VA (March 4, 2025) - The law enforcement profession was not kind to Angela Davis. Her husband, Charles “Charlie” Davis, was a New York City police officer. On December 21, 1996, Charlie was moonlighting during his off-duty hours as a security guard for a Queens check-cashing business. He wanted to give his family an extra special Christmas. As Officer Davis and the owner of the store, Ira “Mike” Epstein rolled up the metal gate to open the store about 7 a.m., four armed bandits forced Charlie and Mike inside to where the store’s safe was located. That’s when gunfire erupted and both Charlie and Mike were killed. When Angela broke the news to her father, he went into a coma and died. Angela buried both her husband and father in a joint funeral the day after Christmas. And, no doubt, Angela’s thoughts that day drifted back to another sad day eight years earlier. That’s when Angela’s brother, Ronald Hearn, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs police officer, was shot and killed while working a metal detector at the Bronx VA Hospital. A man had set off the alarm. As Officer Hearn approached, the man pulled a gun and fired. Ronald Hearn was shot and killed while protecting others, just like his brother-in-law.

Listen to the full podcast to learn more: https://behindbadge.substack.com/p/heroes-live-forever-the-story-of-063