William Whitfield: First Black City Police Officer in Indianapolis to Die in the Line of Duty

0 Posted by - December 6, 2023 - Black History, BLACK MEN, Heartbreaking, History, LATEST POSTS

William Whitfield was a City Police Officer in Indianapolis, Indiana who served for 12 years on the force. He was the first Black police officer in Indianapolis to die in the line of duty.

Officer Whitfield had been in plainclothes on the day of the incident, on foot patrol. He entered an alley, noticing a roughly dressed man. He asked the man what he was doing there? The man suddenly turned and ran, with Officer Whitfield in hot pursuit. During the brief chase, the man suddenly turned and fired several shots from a revolver, striking Officer Whitfield once in the stomach. Officer Whitfield was able to stumble back to the street where he collapsed. People on the street took him to a local hospital where Officer Whitfield lived for 5 months before dying from his injuries. The case was never solved. In 1998 members from his police agency formed together to purchase a headstone for his grave. 76 years after his murder.

 

 

source:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13800459

1 Comment

  • Nyabinghi Djehitti December 5, 2017 - 4:33 pm

    Interesting article… some good information to include would be when this happened.