In 2008, he was the Mt. Rainier Police Department Rookie of the Year. In 2009, he was named the department’s Officer of the Year. Last year, he was Officer of the Year again. Today, Gene Gillette is an attempted murder suspect.
At about 6 a.m. July 2, Gillette was involved in what was reported as an attempted carjacking. He was off-duty when he was almost run down, he said, and he shot the suspect in an apparent act of courage.
That so-called suspect’s father tells a different story.
“My son’s got to live the rest of his life with bullets all in him because of him,” Irving Hall said. “They can’t take them out. I thank God that he’s alive.”
Hall said his son was simply walking down the street when Gillette approached him and invited him to a party at Gillette’s house on Glacier Avenue in Capitol Heights, Md. Gillette allegedly promised there'd be girls there and they'd make movies. Gillette offered a ride and Hall’s son accepted, but when they got there, no party was in progress and there were no girls, Hall said.
Gillette gave Hall’s son alcohol and touched his genitals, Hall said. Hall’s son ran from the house and tried to use Gillette’s vehicle to get away, but Gillette pistol-whipped him and shot him twice, Hall said.
“He threw him on the ground and dragged him,” Hall said. “His whole arm is all messed up. And then he shot him in the back.”
Gillette was charged with 12 felony counts, including attempted murder, sexual assault and false imprisonment. He turned himself in to police at about 7 p.m. Tuesday. In court Wednesday, a judge ordered he be held without bond.
"The police deserve credit," Prince George's County State's Attorney Angela Alsobrooks said. "They returned to the scene and they didn't take the first story. They continued to investigate and they did a very thorough job in investigating the case and trying to bring out the truth of what occurred."
In court Wednesday, the prosecution indicated there may be more victims.
"We welcome any information that the public might have," Alsobrooks said.
“I think for him to be officer of the year for two years straight, somebody should have picked this up by now,” Hall said.
Mt. Rainier Police Chief Michael Scott confirmed that Gillette, 27, is suspended without pay and his police powers are revoked for the duration of the investigation.
