Officer Crowley was shot and killed when he interrupted a robbery at a theater in the Westwood District. One of two men was wounded by Officer Crowley’s return fire. Both were arrested a few days later.
It was determined that the suspect that was shot by Officer Crowley was the one who killed him. He was convicted of first degree murder and hanged at San Quentin Prison on August 18, 1933. The other suspect was also sentenced to death but his sentence was later commuted to life.