There have been many legendary detectives to grace the Law & Order universe, but Christopher Meloni's Elliot Stabler is one of the most iconic

Originally appearing in Seasons 1-12 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit alongside the fearless Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), Stabler is a bona fide fan favorite.  Once Benson and Stabler got their hands on a case, it was game over for the perpetrators, and Law & Order fans couldn't get enough of watching them make the world a safer place.

Below, we look back on the events that caused Stabler's heartbreakingdeparture. 

Why did Elliot Stabler leave Law & Order: SVU?

Stabler left the Manhattan SVU after becoming rocked by a case that required him to step in to halt a devastating shooting at the precinct.

Stabler's final episode of SVU prior to his franchise return was in Season 12, Episode 24 ("Smoked").

The episode centered on what would've have been a trial for the sexual assault of Annette Fox, a victim whose case had been delayed for years. A week before she was scheduled to testify, Annette was shot in cold blood in front of her teenage daughter, Jenna Fox. 

After Benson and Stabler successfully arrested the three men behind her mother's assault and murder, they invited Jenna to the precinct in hopes that seeing the perpetrators had been apprehended would be therapeutic for her.

The plan went tragically south after Jenna brought a handgun and opened fire on her mother's assailants. 

Benson and Stabler did everything they could to de-escalate the situation, but Stabler was sadly forced to draw his weapon to stop Jenna after she accidentally killed precinct nun Sister Peg (Charlayne Woodard). Stabler then fatally wounded Jenna, leaving Stabler traumatized. 

Following the shooting, Stabler became the center of an investigation that ultimately determined his actions were legal.

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