Remembering the former Saxonburg police chief who was shot, killed 45 years ago
It’s been 45 years since a former Saxonburg police chief died after he was shot during a traffic stop.
Chief Gregory Adams died while en route to Butler Memorial Hospital after being shot in the chest, under the arm, and sustaining head injuries during a traffic stop Dec. 4, 1980, on Butler Street. He was 31 years old.
Adams shot his assailant in the leg and was able to record his license plate before paramedics arrived, which in part led police to Donald Eugene Webb. His suspected remains were discovered in 2017 in the Dartmouth, Massachusetts, home of his former wife, Lillian Webb.
Donald Webb was never prosecuted.
Attorney Tom King represented the Adams family in a 2017 civil suit against Webb’s estate for answers and damages in excess of $1 million, but the case was sealed that same year. King said his clients agreed not to pursue the claim.
“The family was very much involved and willing to grant immunity to get to the truth,” King said in 2017.
At the time of the shooting, Webb was a career criminal known to use multiple aliases and was wanted by the FBI for failing to appear in court for an attempted burglary charge The FBI believes Webb was in Saxonburg for a jewelry store heist.
Following the shooting, Webb spent nearly 26 years on the FBI’s most wanted list.
A portion of Butler Street between West Main and West Water streets was renamed to honor Adams in 2018. A plaque also sits outside the Saxonburg Police Department and Municipal Building.
