Baltimore City Police Department, Maryland
End of Watch: Wednesday, May 7, 1997
Age: 47
Tour of Duty: 29 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: May 7, 1997
Weapon Used: Shotgun; 16 gauge
Suspect Info: Committed
Lieutenant Owen Sweeney was killed while attempting to serve a petition for a mental commitment.
Lieutenant Sweeney went to a home on Bertram Avenue to serve the petition with other officers. The man named on the petition fired a shotgun through the front door. The blast struck Lieutenant Sweeny in his lower back as he was walking away from the door after attempting to talk to the man.
The man was ruled mentally unfit to stand trial. He was committed to a maximum security state hospital and held not criminally responsible for Lieutenant Sweeney's murder.
Lieutenant Sweeney was a 28-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department and routinely worked in the field with officers under his command. He is survived by his wife and two sons.