Cypress Police Sergeant Donald J. Sowma gave his life in the line of duty while protecting the citizens of Cypress. In the early morning hours of November 19, 1976, he responded to a report of an intrusion alarm at a local business complex. While checking the interior of the building, he was shot to death by an armed burglar who had hidden himself inside. Sergeant Sowma was the first Cypress Police officer to be killed in the line of duty.