Whitehall Police Department, Ohio
End of Watch Friday, August 24, 2001
Add to My HeroesTerry McDowell
Police Officer Terry McDowell was shot and killed as he and his partner attempted to serve a traffic citation to a woman at her home for driving without a license.
The woman had driven to the police station earlier in the day to pick her husband up after he had been arrested on a DUI charge. When it was discovered the woman did not have a driver's license, the two officers told her to walk home. Officer McDowell and his partner then went to her home to serve the citation.
While the officers were knocking on the door, the woman's husband fired a .357 caliber handgun through the door without warning, striking Officer McDowell in the chest above his vest. He immediately fired a second time, striking Officer McDowell's partner in the face and eye, seriously wounding him. As Officer McDowell's partner retreated and called for assistance, the suspect stood over Officer McDowell's body and shot him several more times. Backup officers arrived on the scene and shot the suspect in the leg. The suspect then walked to the backyard of his house and committed suicide.
The gun used by the suspect was found to have been stolen from the suspect's neighbor, who had been murdered.
Officer McDowell was a United States Army veteran and had served with the Whitehall Police Department for 12 years. He is survived by his wife, an 8-year-old son, and an 11-month-old daughter.
Bio
- Age 35
- Tour 12 years
- Badge 32
- Military Veteran
Incident Details
- Cause Gunfire
- Weapon Handgun; .357 caliber
- Offender Committed suicide
Most Recent Reflection
View all 182 ReflectionsRemembering your sacrifice today. You are not forgotten.
August 24, 2023
Recent LODD Deaths

Trooper Alberto Felix
Nevada Department of Public Safety - Nevada Highway Patrol, NV
EOW: November 30, 2023

Sergeant Michael Abbate
Nevada Department of Public Safety - Nevada Highway Patrol, NV
EOW: November 30, 2023

Sergeant Michael Moran
Cortez Police Department, CO
EOW: November 29, 2023

Detective James Michael Lett
Benton Police Department, AR
EOW: November 8, 2023

Border Patrol Agent Freddy Ortiz
United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - United States Border Patrol, US
EOW: November 14, 2023

Correctional Officer III Jovian Motley
Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Correctional Institutions Division, TX
EOW: November 13, 2023

Sergeant Jon Arden Jenson
Fort Worth Police Department, TX
EOW: October 28, 2023

Senior Police Officer Jorge Pastore
Austin Police Department, TX
EOW: November 11, 2023

Correctional Officer I Kelly Bernard Rolando
Missouri Department of Corrections, MO
EOW: October 22, 2023