As a patrolman Ralph shot and killed a teenaged boy, a known burglar, in broad daylight. Ralph said the boy was armed and pulled a gun on him while fleeing the scene of one of his burglaries. The problem with Ralph’s story was that the individual did not have a weapon on him. It was only through the masterly verbal sleight of hand on the part of the El Paso County district attorney that Ralph survived the shooting investigation through the grand jury. He retained his position as a police officer; however, his credibility among his peers suffered significantly after the incident.
