Officer Richards

“	Out of the car, you fucker!	”
–Richards to Ghostface (Mickey Altieri in costume) moments before his death in Scream 2.

Officer Richards
General Information
Full Name	Unknown (forename only)
Age	37-40
Born	December 22—January 19, approx. late-1950s
Death	Sunday night, April 13, 1997 Cause: Head impaled with long pipe by Mickey Altieri.
Occupation	Police officer
Home	Ohio
Goal	To protect Sidney Prescott from Ghostface (failed) To escort Sidney Prescott and Hallie McDaniel off Windsor College to a safe location (failed)
Weapons	Glock 17
Status	Deceased
Appearances	Scream 2
Relationships
Romance	Unnamed ex-wife
Relatives	Unnamed ex-wife Two unnamed children
Allies	Lewis Hartley (boss) Officer Andrews † (work partner) Frank Down (co-worker) Sidney Prescott Hallie McDaniel †
Enemies	Mickey Altieri † (killer) Nancy Loomis † (indirectly)
Actors/Actresses
Portrayed by	Christopher Doyle
Stab Portrayal	Unknown

Officer Richards was a minor character who appears in Scream 2 (1997 film). He worked for Chief Lewis Hartley and was hired to serve as one of Sidney Prescott's bodyguards, alongside Officer Andrews, when it became apparent she was the prime target in the Windsor College Murders.

He was the sixth person to fall victim to the second Ghostface killing spree.

He was portrayed by stunt actor, Christopher Doyle.

Biography

Background

Officer Richards was a Capricorn and a recently divorced father of two children. A law enforcement officer, he was considered one of Chief Lewis Hartley's best men.

The Windsor College Murders (1997)

After the murders of three Windsor College students and an attack on Sidney Prescott at the Delta Lambda Zeta sorority house, Richards and Andrews were ordered to protect Sidney. They followed her throughout the day, while walking through campus with her boyfriend, Derek Feldman, eating lunch with her friends, and the Fall of Troy rehearsals. The two searched for the killer when Sidney was harassed at the school's library via the internet. They brought Cotton Weary into custody when he confronted Sidney about an interview with Diane Sawyer, though he was later released.

Richards jumps onto the car in an attempt to stop Ghostface (Mickey Altieri).

That night, the two escorted Sidney and her roommate and best friend, Hallie McDaniel, away from campus for their safety. Ghostface (Mickey Altieri in costume) struck while the car was stopped at a red light and slashed Andrews' throat. Ghostface then attacked Richards and then drove into him. Richards hung onto the hood of the car, attempting to stop the killer, but the car crashed into a construction site and his head was impaled with a metal pole.

Richards is impaled in the head with a long pipe after Ghostface crashes the car.

Relationships

Family Unnamed ex-wife Two unnamed children Allies Ohio Lewis Hartley - Boss Officer Andrews † - Work Partner Frank Down - Co-Worker Windsor College Sidney Prescott Hallie McDaniel †

Enemies Ghostface Mickey Altieri † - Killer Nancy Loomis † - Indirect Killer

Trivia

• Him and Andrews are the first law enforcement casualties of the franchise.
  • Deputies Ross Hoss and Anthony Perkins in Scream 4 would be the next law enforcement victims in the franchise until Deputy Clifton Roberts in Season 1 of the TV Series.
  • In the fifth film, Scream (2022), Sheriff Judy Hicks would be the next in the film series to be killed followed by Deputy Clay.
• Richards and Andrews' deaths are similar to Deputy Stevens from Season 2 of the TV Series and Officer David Coporizo in I Know What You Did Last Summer (written by Kevin Williamson).
  • All four are transporting some of the main characters, although in the case of Stevens, he arrested Emma Duval and Audrey Jensen after finding the dead body of Mayor Quinn Maddox.
  • All of them are eventually killed by the killers:
    • Andrews is ambushed by Mickey Altieri, who slashes his throat.
    • Stevens crashes into a pole after seeing the Lakewood Slasher (Kieran Wilcox) on the road.
    • Coporizo sees Ben Willis on the road and assumes he is a bystander and goes to check on him and gets stabbed to death.
    • Both Stevens and Richards attempt to fight the killers off before ultimately being killed.
    • Stevens is stabbed to death by the Lakewood Slasher.
    • Richards is driven and impaled onto a metal pole after being stuck on the hood of the car when Mickey Altieri attempts to run him over.
• He is the first victim in the franchise that attempts to fight back after being seriously injured only to be killed not long after.
• He is the first victim in the franchise to be attacked with a car.
• He is the first victim in the franchise not to be killed with a knife or firearm.
  • He is also the first victim to not being injured with a knife before his death.
• He is the first victim to be impaled in some of fashion.
  • Mayor Quinn Maddox in Season 2 would be the next when the Lakewood Slasher (Kieran Wilcox) impales him with a pitchfork.

Behind the Scenes

• Richards and Andrews' surnames are references to the two child actors who portrayed Tommy Doyle and Lindsay Wallace (Brian Andrews and Kyle Richards) in Halloween (1978 film).
• It is unknown who played him in the Stab franchise.
• It is somewhat ironic that Richards is killed by Ghostface, as his actor Christopher Doyle, was one of the stuntmen that portrayed Ghostface in the movie. Doyle also doubled for Skeet Ulrich in the first film where Billy Loomis falls down the stairs.