Patrolman Francis V. Quinn

Francis V. Quinn

Patrolman Quinn was shot and killed while attempting to question three suspicious suspects.

Patrolman Quinn was on a walking beat that included the intersection of Western Avenue and Washington Street. He was standing in the doorway of a pharmacy at this intersection when he observed three suspicious men walking up Washington Street towards him. As the men reached the intersection, he told them he wanted to talk to them.

He crossed the street to talk to them and before he said a word, they grabbed him, pinning him against a building. He quickly broke free and then saw one of the men draw a revolver. As he went for his own gun, he said, "Don't shoot me! Please think of my family." The gunman then shot him. The patrolman slumped into the gutter after being shot in the head. The other two men fled as soon as the first shot was fired.

All three suspects, 23, 28, and 33, were captured, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment. All three had parole hearings in 1948.

Patrolman Quinn was survived by his wife and three sisters.