St. Petersburg Police Department, Florida
End of Watch: Saturday, October 16, 1937
Age:
Tour of Duty: 1 day
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: October 16, 1937
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Shot and killed
Officer Thornton and Officer William Newberry were shot and killed in Campbell Park by a drunk man whom they had ordered to leave a carnival earlier in the evening. The man returned to the park and shot both officers. Officer Thornton was killed at the scene and Officer Newberry died the following day. The suspect was shot and killed a short time later by another officer.
Officer Thornton was killed on his first day as a police officer.