Philadelphia Police Department, Pennsylvania
End of Watch: Thursday, November 1, 2007
Age: 54
Tour of Duty: 25 years
Badge Number: 2342
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: October 31, 2007
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Sentenced to death
Police Officer Charles Cassidy succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained the previous day when he walked into a robbery in progress.
Officer Cassidy was checking in on a store at the corner of 66th Avenue and Broad Street that had previously been robbed. Unknown to Officer Cassidy, there was a robbery in progress in the store. As Officer Cassidy entered, the suspect turned and fired, shooting him in the head. The subject then stole Officer Cassidy's service weapon as he fled.
Officer Cassidy was transported to Albert Einstein Medical Center, where he remained until passing away.
The suspect was arrested by members of the Miami, Florida, Police Department, on November 6th, 2007, after a 911 call was made indicating the man was in an area homeless shelter. He was sentenced to death on November 24th, 2009.
Officer Cassidy had served with the Philadelphia Police Department for 25 years. He is survived by his wife and three children.