New York City Police Department, New York
End of Watch: Saturday, December 21, 1996
Age: 38
Tour of Duty: 8 years, 10 months
Badge Number: 10001
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: December 21, 1996
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Conviction overturned
Police Officer Charles Davis was shot and killed during a robbery while working an off-duty employment.
Police Officer Davis was working a security job at a check cashing store on Astoria Blvd. in the East Elmhurst section of Queens. As the store was being opened, just after 7:00 am, Officer Davis and the businessman who owned the establishment were ambushed by armed suspects and forced inside. Once inside, the robbers fatally shot Officer Davis and shot the store owner multiple times. Officer Davis was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital Center where he died from his wounds.
Three men, ages 19, 20, and 22, were arrested and charged with murder a week later. The 19-year-old shooter was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole. In 2021, all three convictions were overturned. All three have been released.
Officer Davis' brother-in-law, Officer Ronald Hearn of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Police, was shot and killed in the line of duty on January 25, 1988.
Officer Davis had served with the New York City Police Department for almost nine years, working in the Manhattan Warrant Division, and was one of the original officers in New York City's Community Policing Program. He is survived by his wife and 6-year-old daughter.