Fallen Heroes

Fort Wayne, IN – Fort Wayne Police Officer David Tinsley died in the line of duty on Sep. 10, when he suffered a heart attack after he and other officers chased down the driver of a stolen vehicle. Officer Tinsley, 50, died of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, the Allen County Coroner’s Office confirmed on Wednesday morning, […]

Oxford, MS – Lafayette County Sheriff F.D. “Buddy” East, the longest-tenured sheriff in the state of Mississippi, passed away on Sep. 8, following a brief illness. Sheriff East, 76, celebrated his 46th year as sheriff in August, and was in the midst of his 12th term when he died at Baptist Memorial Hospital at 10:20 […]

Lemont, IL – Joliet Police Officer Daniel Rupp died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Sep. 4. According to the medical examiner’s office and forest preserve police, Officer Rupp, 33, was pronounced dead at the Cook County Forest Preserve Sag Valley Equestrian parking lot at approximately 3 p.m., The Herald-News reported. His body was discovered […]

Fair Grove, MO – Greene County Sheriff’s Deputy Aaron Roberts died in the line of duty on Friday night, after fast-rising floodwaters swept his patrol vehicle off of a bridge. Deputy Roberts, 36, had just cleared from a 911 hang-up call when the rapid water of the Pomme de Terre River rose up over the […]

Renton, WA – Washington State Patrol Trooper Renee Padgett died on Tuesday, following a six-year cancer battle, her department said. Trooper Padgett, 50, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare form of white blood cell cancer, back in 2012, KOMO reported. Using her own cells, she underwent a stem-cell transplant in 2013, and went into […]

Aransas County, TX – Refugio County Sheriff’s K9 Grunt and K9 Nell were strangled to death by an illegal alien they were pursuing through dense brush on Saturday. The incident began north of Holiday Beach at approximately 9 a.m., when an officer attempted to pull over a black pickup truck, Aransas County Sheriff Bill Mills […]

Chicago, IL – Chicago Police Sergeant Steven Joseph Bechina died of an apparent suicide while on-duty on Monday. Sgt. Bechina, 47, was found unresponsive in his patrol vehicle in the 0-100 block of North Des Plaines Street at 3:46 p.m., WMAQ reported. He was rushed to by ambulance to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition, […]

Riverhead, NY – Riverhead Police Department K9 Rocky was killed in the line of duty on Sunday, when the vehicle he was riding in with his partner crashed into a pole during a pursuit. The incident began at approximately 2:30 a.m., when the unidentified driver of an Audi drove through a DWI checkpoint on Long […]

Monroe, LA – Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s K9 Boco was murdered in the line of duty on Aug. 17 as he chased an attempted murder suspect through the woods. K9 Boco, a 6-year-old Belgian Malinois, was deployed after his fellow officers were dispatched to a report of a suspicious person on Chandler Road at approximately 7:30 […]

South Windsor, CT – South Windsor Police Sergeant Matthew Mainieri was vacationing in South Carolina when he was killed by a man who “sucker punched” him as he was trying to break up a fight, police said. The incident occurred at approximately 12:30 a.m. on Sunday at Uncle Tito’s bar, the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office […]