Pittsfield Police Department, Massachusetts
End of Watch: Wednesday, November 2, 1988
Age: 25
Tour of Duty: 5 months
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Heatstroke
Date of Incident: September 19, 1988
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Officer Timothy Shepard died when he was overcome by heat stroke and dehydration while training during his first day at the former Western Massachusetts Regional Police Academy, at 702 South Westfield Street, in Agawam.
Cadets in the class reported they were pushed to the limits of their endurance with hours of running, push-ups and other exercises that day on just a few small cups of water. Fifteen other cadets of the class of fifty were hospitalized for exhaustion and dehydration. Officer Shepard had undergone a liver transplant, lapsed into a coma, and later died from complications.
Officer Shepard was survived by his expectant wife, mother, father, two brothers, and two sisters at the time of his passing.