Lieutenant John Eugene Galvin

John Eugene Galvin

Lieutenant Jack Galvin succumbed to injuries received two weeks earlier from an explosion as he and members of the agency's bomb squad were destroying commercial fireworks at the bomb range off of Hoover Road south of 53rd Street North.

The bomb squad was participating in a training exercise with 1,500 pounds of fireworks that were approximately three years old. As they were loading some of the fireworks into the pit that Lieutenant Galvin was working, an unknown event triggered an explosion, causing the remaining fireworks on the truck to ignite. Lieutenant Galvin received second and third-degree burns over 80 percent of his body. Another officer and a civilian were also injured in the explosion.

Lieutenant Galvin had served with the Wichita Police Department for 20 years and had received numerous awards for bravery, including being involved with apprehending a cop-killer in 1981. He is survived by his wife, daughter, and three sons.