dan lovelace is one sick piggy!!!!!!! he murders a woman by shooting her in the back and blames the woman and her family. Original Article Lovelace on regret, reaction, redemption By Gary Grado, Tribune July 16, 2004 Daniel Lovelace wishes Dawn Rae Nelson were here to explain her side. The former Chandler officer also wishes she had done one more thing before their deadly encounter in a pharmacy drive-through. "She was a person in need, and I believe if she had gotten the help that she needed, she wouldnt have been there," Lovelace said in an exclusive interview Thursday with the Tribune. At his Chandler home, he talked about the 35-year-old Ahwatukee Foothills woman; what it was like being in the limelight after he shot her Oct. 11, 2002; feelings that certain fellow officers betrayed him; how he has coped; and what is in store for his future. He was joined by his wife, Tricia Debbs, their 9-month-old daughter, Lucy, and defense attorney Craig Mehrens. He answered every question and placed no restrictions on the interview except time. He allowed about 45 minutes. Throughout the interview, if he wasnt holding his squirming daughter, he was holding Debbs hand. Lovelace said he couldnt think of anything he would have done differently that day. "I followed procedure, I followed what my job allows me to do and tells me to do," he said. "I wish she were here to explain her side." DAWN RAE NELSON One week ago today, a jury acquitted Lovelace of seconddegree murder, manslaughter and endangerment. Nelson fled in her car suddenly as Lovelace questioned her about a fake prescription she was trying to fill at a Walgreens drive-through at Dobson and Warner roads. Lovelace testified at Maricopa County Superior Court in Mesa that he feared for his life as he saw Nelsons leftfront tire turning toward him, so he fired one shot from his 9 mm semiautomatic handgun. Prosecutors said the shooting was unjustified because three witnesses testified he chased Nelson before firing and the bullet traveled from back to front. "I would like to move on from this, but I know in my heart you never forget it, it never goes away," Lovelace said. "I dont want to live my life bitter. Im so sad it ended up the way it did." What saddens him, he said, is that there were red flags that Nelson had substance abuse problems, but he has never heard anything that tells him anyone was trying to help her. Had Nelson stayed put and been arrested, she probably would have gotten some kind of help for substance abuse, Lovelace said. "I feel bad their family doesnt have their mother anymore, the children dont have her there, the rest of the family doesnt have her there." Nelsons widower, Colby Nelson, said earlier this week that Lovelace has shown no remorse for the killing. Lovelace responded to the criticism by suggesting Colby Nelson failed his wife. "We all have responsibilities to our loved ones. Ill just leave it at that," Lovelace said. He said he wished Colby Nelson could "put it behind him." DUTY AND CHANCE Lovelace might never have encountered Nelson. He and his wife canceled trips to New York for his high school reunion and a second honeymoon in Hawaii so he could be available that week for court cases. Lovelace, a motorcycle officer who got to drive his bike home, testified he was in his house and ready to call in that he was off duty when he heard the call about a fraudulent prescription at the Walgreens at Dobson and Warner roads. On March 13, 2000, Lovelace was also near the end of his shift when he spotted a stolen pickup truck and gave chase. A few minutes later, the pickup roared through Warner and McQueen roads at 100 mph and killed a passing motorist, 19-year-old Bradley Downing. Despite the ill-fated encounters, Lovelace never felt snakebit. "In the last seven years, I ve done so much good for the community, and a lot of it was I was there at the right time at the right moment. A person getting carjacked, breaking into someones home, you catch these suspects right there. Is it a gift or is it a curse, I dont know. All I know is my duty as a police officer is to respond and do what Im trained to do." Lovelace referred to the police term of "having blinders," which is when an officer doesnt respond to a call and maybe goes to eat or goes home or doesnt want to be inconvenienced. If he could do it over again, he would still the answer the false prescription radio call. Anything could have happened even if he didnt go, he said. COPING The Chandler Police Department fired Lovelace in November 2002 after the department found the shooting to be unjustified. Cameras and reporters swarmed him at his first court appearance and havent let up since. He sought work in the backrooms of grocery and retail stores so he wouldnt have to interact with the public, but no one would hire him. "I couldnt find any work because they know who you are. You kind of get the feeling your application is just going nowhere," Lovelace said. He eventually found a parttime job at R & G Vent Cleaning, which is owned by Don LaBarge, a retired Phoenix police officer. There he cleaned exhaust systems in restaurants and put together the companys safety and employee manuals. "Don was the only one who gave me a job," Lovelace said. He also started landscaping, doing simple cleanup and gardening about a year ago. It gave him time to think. "Its good because you work with your hands, you plant gardens and you see things grow," he said. He read the Bible. The stories were written "thousands of years ago" and still "pull your heart." He also read "The Onion Field," a 1970s bestseller about a Los Angeles police officers struggles after his partner is killed by thieves in an onion field. "He took a lot of heat from his own department," Lovelace said. "I saw the same pain I was feeling." BETRAYAL There was never a lack of support for Lovelace at his trial. Everyday, a dozen or so officers would come and go to catch portions of the testimony. But there are some officers "the people who were in the trial" who he once believed supported him. "It hurts a lot when those same people you fought next to for lack of a better word betrayed me," he said. He commended the officers who took the stand on his behalf and who he says risked their jobs and reputations doing so. "Theres no guarantees in this job," he said. "The guys can say what they want about me, but theres no guarantee this cant happen to them." A NEW LIFE When Lovelace went to court for the reading of the verdict, he took nothing with him except his wedding ring, knowing he would be taken to jail immediately if convicted. He said he was in a "twilight zone" and on "autopilot" in the courtroom and he brought little Lucy so he could kiss her goodbye just in case. "Its kind of like youre ready for your life to end or youre ready for your life to start," he said. "I know my innocence. I know who I am. I know the charges. The allegations against me were untrue." The courtroom exploded in gasps when the verdict was read. Lovelace has asked for his job back and must go through various administrative processes to succeed. If he isnt allowed back, he will return to school and begin another line of work. But in the meantime, he said he is willing to go through another high-profile process to get his job back. "If the cameras are there, the cameras are there, I dont think it can get any worse," he said. Contact Gary Grado by email, or phone (602) 258-1746