Prosecutor Gunned Down On His Own Door Step

Police seek tips from neighbors, witnesses

BURROWSDALE, ARMANA--Residents of the Maine City suburb of Burrowsdale are on edge following the early morning assassination of a federal prosecutor in a quiet, affluent residential neighborhood.

Charlie M. O'Fallon, an assistant federal prosecuting attorney for the southern district of Armana, was gunned down this morning on the front porch of his home.

According to police, the 43-year-old O'Fallon was getting ready for work when he opened the front door to retrieve his newspaper. That's when he was struck by a single gun shot to the head, killing him instantly.

The victim's wife heard the shot, and immediately went to attend to her husband. She reportedly heard tires squealing as a vehicle fled the scene, but was unable to get a look at the get-away car.

The couple's three children were sleeping upstairs at the time of the attack and were not injured in the shooting, police said.

Emergency crews responded within minutes. Police secured the scene and began going door-to-door, asking neighbors if they'd seen anything.

One neighbor across the street from the O'Fallon home told police she saw a silver sedan with tinted windows parked outside the home but could not give a make or model for the vehicle.

Authorities say they have little information to go off of, and acknowledge that, as a prosecuting attorney trying several cases involving violent criminals, O'Fallon may have had many enemies.

"There's no doubt that Mr. O'Fallon certainly made a lot of enemies in his role as a prosecutor. This was not just a random drive-by shooting. This was an execution," Burrowsdale Police Chief Dave Sallentano told reporters.

"What makes this case even more frightening is that the victim was a public official. And the fact that this happened in broad daylight and in a relatively safe and close-knit neighborhood is particularly troubling," Sallentano said.

At the Justice Department's office in Maine City, colleagues grieved the loss of their beloved coworker and friend.

"I think I speak on behalf of this entire community of the Justice Department and the legal system here in the Maine City area when I say that Charlie O'Fallon was a good man with a passion for justice and a passion for the people he served," Federal Attorney Allan Whailer, O'Fallon's boss, told the NPF. "He loved nothing more than discovering the truth and bringing those responsible to justice."

Armana Governor Dale Fulbright's office released a statement Friday, saying it was "saddened and stunned" at the attack, and pledged the state "will not cease until those responsible are found."

"By all accounts, Charlie O'Fallon was a good and honorable man that served his state well. Whoever has done this has robbed not only the legal community of a seasoned professional, but they have robbed a wife of a husband, children of their father, and a community of a wonderful leader."

"Such violent attacks on members of the legal system will not be tolerated in this state," Fulbright's statement went on to say.

Police are still investigating. Meanwhile, added security have been assigned to the O'Fallon home.