John Hege was a 41-year-old traffic officer and one of four police officers that were shot and killed on March 21, 2009, during two related shootings in Oakland, California. Hege and Sgt. Mark Dunakin were both shot just after 1:00 pm PST by 27-year-old parolee Lovelle Mixon during a routine traffic stop. Mixon opened fire on them before taking off on foot and prompting a manhunt that ultimately led to the death of two more officers as well as his own.

On March 27, 2009, a funeral was held for John Hege and the other slain officers in Oakland, California. Those speaking at the ceremony included state Attorney General Jerry Brown, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein.SFGate: Mayor asked to forgo speech at officers' funeral (March 27, 2009)

Dunakin was declared dead at the hospital. Hege was determined brain dead the following afternoon. His family asked that he be kept alive to allow organ donor surgery; that surgery took place on March 23, 2009, and he was taken off life support and died.NBC Bay Area: Fourth Oakland Police Officer Dies (March 22, 2009) CNN: Fourth Oakland police officer dies after weekend shooting (March 24, 2009)

On March 21, 2009, just after 1:00 pm PST, Sgt. Mark Dunakine and officer John Hege pulled over Lovelle Mixon on a routine traffic stop. Mixon, who had a no-bail warrant out for his arrest because of a parole violation, opened fire on the two traffic officers and took off on foot, leaving the wounded men lying in the street. One witness approached the officers and performed CPR on one while waiting for paramedics to arrive. Dunakin was later pronounced dead, while Hege remained in critical condition at the Highland hospital trauma center.NBC Bay Area: Three OPD Officers Killed, Another Clings to Life (March 21, 2009) Hege later died from his injuries at 12:00 pm PST on March 22, 2009SFGate: Fourth Oakland officer involved in Saturday's shootings dies (March 22, 2009)

Over the course of the next two hours, an entire area in East Oakland was roped off to traffic as officers from at least five different law enforcement agencies began a manhunt for Mixon. An anonymous call came in directing police to an apartment building where Mixon had barricaded himself in one of the apartment's closets. SWAT team Sgt. Ervin Romans and Sgt. Daniel Sakai approached the closet where Lovelle Mixon was hiding. He then opened fired through the door, killing both men and wounding another. The wounded officer fired back, killing Mixon.Huffington Post: 4 Police Shot, Suspect Killed, After Traffic Stop (March 21, 2009)