Candle lit at Wakefield police headquarters in memory of Sergeant John Speed 30 years after fatal shooting

West Yorkshire Police are today remembering an unarmed police officer who was gunned down on a street in Leeds 35 years ago today.
Sgt John Speed, 39, was murdered outside Leeds Parish Church, 35 years ago today.Sgt John Speed, 39, was murdered outside Leeds Parish Church, 35 years ago today.
Sgt John Speed, 39, was murdered outside Leeds Parish Church, 35 years ago today.

Unarmed Sgt John Speed, 39, was murdered near the former Leeds Parish Church on Kirkgate in the city centre by David Gricewith on October 31, 1984.

He was shot after going to the aid of a colleague who was fired on during a routine check on two men acting suspiciously near the church.

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Pc John Thorpe, 33, who was first at the scene, had spoken only a few words when one of the men pulled out a handgun and opened fire. Gricewith, a garage owner and well-known criminal, was only identified as the gunman after his own death two years later.